Ulterior Motives
by Flames101
Summary: Things get tense between JJ and Will when she rejoins the team. Will believes Rossi brought her back with ulterior motives in mind, JJ thinks he's crazy. What happens when Will's fears do come true and Rossi does have another thing in mind? JJ/Rossi Ch 21 is New! Nominated for Best JJ/Rossi during the 2012 Profiler's Choice Awards, hosted by CCOAC forum. Complete.
1. And We All Fall Down

**A/N:** Hey all. So, as you can see this is a JJ/Rossi fic. I know, shocker, right? Lol. I wrote this as an entry for the Chit Chat on Author's Corner All the Colors of the Rainbow Challenge. My chosen character was JJ and my assigned character was Rossi. This first chapter will contain the sentence I was also assigned in its entirety (in bold). The sentence was suggested by **Fanatical Writer. **

Since, this is the first time I've ever written JJ and Rossi together, romantically, I needed some major help. **So the premise of this story comes from ilovetvalot. Thank you so much for your help.**

And with one last warning that I've never written JJ/Rossi together romantically before, here you go, the first of several chapters. Let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 1: And We All Fall Down:**

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><p>"Damn it!" JJ exclaimed loudly.<p>

Luckily, she was all alone in the basement storage room of the Bureau. Absolutely no one was around to hear her colourful cursing. And just what was she cursing at? Well, at the moment, the box she needed to reach that so happened to be tucked away on the top most shelf, furthest from reach. But in general, her whole life seemed to be something to curse at.

She rolled her eyes at her self. Ok, that was an exaggeration. Some things were bad, but she had her perfect angel of a son to counteract it all. If she just focused on Henry, lived every moment for her baby, then things were perfectly peachy. It's when she attempted to look outside of her Henry-colored-glasses that things began to show their actual crappiness.

JJ let out a long-suffering sigh. "Come on JJ, you came down here to do a job, not to wallow in self pity."

But she couldn't help it. If there was ever the perfect place to wallow it would be the dimly lit, dingy storage room that housed the hard-copy files of past Bureau cases.

Hotch had assigned her to help Penelope put some of the older, pre-computer age, files into the system. As the newest Profiler to the team, she didn't get to do the cool jobs like Emily and Morgan got to do when things were slow with the BAU. No, they got to be off interviewing serial killers while she got to hold up papers as Pen furiously typed away.

But first, before she could become a paper stand, she needed to get at that damned box. She stood on the top rung of the ladder on her tip-toes, only just realizing that maybe keeping her black pumps on in case of spiders was not her brightest idea.

She gave a mental shrug, _Oh well, I'm almost there…_

Extending both arms, she was almost in reach of the lip of the box's lid when a squeak from down below had her almost jumping in fright.

The almost jump was what did her in. It was enough of a jolt to send her rickety ladder teetering and by the law of physics: what goes up must come down… she in turn was teetering dangerously. She had just enough time to colourfully curse her choice to wear heels that day, before she found herself plummeting to the hard concrete floor.

Her eyes squeezed shut of their own accord and she braced herself for the bone-breaking impact.

_Man, just when I was getting back into the swing of things…_

Two seconds later, however, instead of hearing the crack noise she'd been expecting, she heard the rush of air followed closely by an "Oof" sound. And instead of the hard, hard concrete she'd expected to land on, she'd landed on something quite a bit softer, sturdy, because it caught her weight, but definitely softer than the hard floor.

_What's going on? Why isn't my head split open and my brains littering the floor?_ she wondered, her heart racing from fright. _Only one way to find out, Jay, open your eyes!_

She took a deep breath, bracing herself—_maybe I died on impact_—and opened just one eye. What she saw there did not compute, so she opened the second eye and blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing what her brain was telling her she was seeing.

After several rapid fire blinks, _he _was still there. She was up close and personal, face to face, with an amused looking David Rossi.

"Does your mother know you swear like that?" he said, voice full of humour.

She breathed in and out, staring directly into his dark brown eyes, trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. _Ok, brain, let's hurry up and catch up, please…_

She had been reaching for the box in her damned black high heels when she'd heard something.

_A mouse… _

Her eyes widened at that. She hated mice as much as she hated spiders.

"JJ, you ok?" Dave questioned, his amused look gone, replaced by concern.

_Process, JJ,_ she demanded of herself.

And then she jumped, well not really, but she did move enough to send her flying in the air and…

She took a moment to break eye contact to glance down the length of her unbroken body.

…and apparently straight into the arms of the older agent.

_He caught me,_ she thought in wonder. _I was falling, I was… going to die… and he caught me._

"JJ?"

The sound of his voice saying her name, so gentle, so sweet, had her looking up at him instantaneously. Locked in an intense gaze, she breathed out, "You saved my life…"

His low, husky chuckle caught her completely by surprise. "I don't know about that…"

She shook her head slowly; ready to pronounce that her life was indebted to him and so on, when the sound of voices coming down the hall cut her off. She couldn't really make them out, she was so focused on Rossi and how dark his eyes had suddenly gotten. They were coming closer, that much she knew.

"She's down here," a deep voice said.

"What's she doing down here?" another male asked, voice full of disdain.

"I sent her to grab some files… Rossi should be helping her. I sent him down to check on her. They should be just around—"

Now that the voices were closer, she knew that one of them belonged to Hotch and the other was—

"JJ!" Will exclaimed.

She tore her gaze away from Rossi's to see a furious looking Will, standing there with her boss—was that a smile on his face?

_Oh God!_ she thought, frantically looking back and forth between her partner and the man who's neck she had her arms around and who, in turn, was holding her so tightly. This was bad, she surmised.

**Never in her life had she been caught in such a compromising position; she could feel her cheeks turning fire engine red under his intense stare and wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole!**

The words that came out of her mouth next didn't do a thing to save her, either.

"Will, this isn't what it looks like!"

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><p>Well that's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you think! Thanks! Next update should be pretty soon!<p>

**Oh and just a little note from the moderators at Chit Chat on Author's Corner: The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. First day to send us noms is 9/1! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED!**


	2. Caught Red Handed

**A/N:** Hey all! Thanks for the lovely response to the first chapter. Here's the next one! Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 2: Caught Red Handed:**

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><p>"<em>Will, this isn't what it looks like!"<em>

Dave glanced from the beautiful blonde he'd just saved, in his arms, to her partner, who looked fire-ant mad, to Hotch, who actually let out what he believed was a hearty guffaw.

_Oh, this definitely looked bad, _he thought to himself. Not that he cared about himself, necessarily; his reputation had him doing things much worse than saving a co-worker/friend from unnecessary harm.

When the angry look on Will's face only intensified and JJ had yet to say anything else other than "I didn't do it," basically, he took over to save the day.

"Down you go, JJ," he said cautiously. "You all right? Almost gave yourself a nasty little bump."

Her nervous gaze fluttered off of Will to rest on him. "I… I'm fine… thanks."

Gently, he settled her down onto her two feet, in the black pumps he so enjoyed seeing her in, and let go of her completely. He glanced in Will's direction, the anger on his face seemed to be dissipating and the man looked to be putting together what actually happened.

When Dave glanced back at JJ, her blue eyes—the ones he could stare into all day long—were riveted on him.

"Thanks," she murmured again.

"JJ, you all right?" Hotch, not Will, asked her concernedly.

She seemed to have to tear her gaze away from him to look at their stoic Unit Chief. "Yeah… I am… thanks to Dave."

Dave followed her gaze back to Hotch to find the man staring at him with one eyebrow raised.

_What?_ Dave thought back defensively. For once in his life he'd been found in a compromising position and it had been actually perfectly innocent.

"Good Job, Dave," Hotch commented, dryly. "Why don't we leave JJ and the detective alone, since he came all this way to speak with _his_ girlfriend."

_Real subtle, Hotch,_ Dave sarcastically thought. But he nodded his agreement, nonetheless.

He turned to JJ one last time, putting a hand on her upper arm. "You sure you're ok?"

She gave him a bright, sunny smile, the kind that got his own heart racing. "Yeah, thanks again."

And then he broke himself away from the caring woman to start walking up with Hotch. On their way up, he could sense that Hotch had something to say, but Rossi didn't much feel like hearing it.

"Shut up, Aaron."

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><p>JJ stared down at the mature profiler's hand on her arm and then back up into his chocolate eyes. She had no idea why her heard had started to flutter at the contact or why she suddenly felt elated to be doted on by her friend who was probably at least twenty years her senior. But when he looked at her like that, like she was the only one in the whole entire world, she couldn't help but bestow upon him her brightest, most sincere smile.<p>

"Yeah," she answered his concerned question, surprised momentarily by how breathy her voice sounded. "Thanks again."

She watched him nod in acknowledgement and then join Hotch as the two men left the area. Once out of sight she turned back to focus on the man that was part of the uncertainty in her life.

Will did not look one ounce of happy.

"I fell," she said lamely, pointing at the ladder. "From up there…"

Will continued to not say anything. These days, no reaction from him was almost as bad as getting a reaction from him. Things weren't great between them and she knew exactly where the tension had come from: her decision to take Dave up on his offer to rejoin the team and Will's archaic sense of family. The two ideas were like oil and water, seemingly un-mixable in Will's eyes.

"He caught me," she continued with the same tone. "I would have broken something…"

That seemed to get his attention. "You all right?" he said in his deeply accented voice.

He approached her rubbing his hands up and down the side of her arms. His touch, for some reason, sent an involuntary shudder through her body. She crossed her arms over her chest, confused at her body's reaction.

"Oh Jay," he said in a gentle voice. "You're shivering."

He put an arm around her shoulders, beginning to lead them towards the exit.

"You must be in shock… let's get you home."

_In shock?_ she thought tiredly. _You're the one who couldn't say anything two minutes ago._

She shrugged out of his grasp, annoyed by his belief that she was a fragile rose petal. "I'm _fine_, Will. What are you doing here?"

He returned her annoyed look with his own, for a second, before he put on the look she called, "Isn't JJ silly?"

"Can't a guy visit his own girlfriend?" he asked, good-naturedly.

"Will," she said, trying her hardest to keep her annoyance from her voice. "I'm working."

The look on his face faded to be replaced with a full-fledged frown. "Agent Hotchner didn't seem to mind."

_Well, I do! _she yelled in her mind.

"Will," JJ said slowly, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. "You can't just show up at my place of work, unannounced."

"Well, if you didn't work so much maybe I wouldn't have to drop by here to see you," he replied, tauntingly.

_Oh God, this again…_

"Go home, Will," she said, voice dangerous. "We'll talk about this tonight."

_What was new?_ That was all they seemed to talk about lately. She just wanted it to stop.

"Is this about Agent Rossi?" he asked, coldly.

Her eyes snapped up to his and she must have looked furious because the look on Will's face was immediately regretful. "Ok, it's—"

"Go. Home. Will," she said with finality.

He looked about to say something else but thought better of it. Good idea, because she was about ready to spit fire. He turned and fled.

She lowered herself to the bottom rung of the ladder needing to seriously get herself under control.

_God, when did my life turn into a freaking' soap opera?_

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><p>Hope you all enjoyed. Next chapter should be up by Sunday or Monday at the latest. Please let me know what you think! Thanks.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing**: p95000** _(nope, not torture at all, he can catch me any day. Lol);_ **Anonymous; llunisol** _(had to seriously use Google Translator to figure out your review. Lol. Thanks!);_ **DreamerChild88: dakota1013; Longbourn22; ilovetvalot** _(glad you like :) );_ **angel85qcca; Fanatical Writer** _(thanks! It was a great sentence!);_ **and SunnyInOregon.**


	3. Feelings

**A/N:** Hey all! So, last night I sat down with this story and wrote away and got 3 chapters written up! Considering JJ/Rossi is not my usual pairing, I'm really surprised with myself that I got so much done in one sitting. Anyways, my good writing turn means I can update a little earlier than planned. So, I hope you enjoy this latest instalment! Please, let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds

**Chapter 3: Feelings:**

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><p>"<em>Shut up, Aaron,"<em> Rossi said, annoyed, as he started the climb up the one flight of stairs to the first floor of the Bureau building.

"What?" Hotch replied.

Dave didn't reply until after they'd reached the elevators on the main floor. He stepped up to the button, pushing up, before he spared his long-time friend a knowing look.

"That look, I know it," he stated plainly, stepping inside when the doors slid open a mere second later.

Hotch followed him inside, quiet for all of ten seconds.

"I didn't say anything," Hotch denied, holding his hands up in an "I'm innocent" gesture.

Dave glanced at him again to gauge his sincerity; instead of contriteness, he found Hotch looking amused. If it wasn't at his expense, Dave would have been pleased that Hotch had something to smile about.

"What you saw down there was nothing, purely innocent," Dave continued, unclear why he didn't just shut it; he had nothing to prove or, really, disprove. "Just me helping a co-worker out…"

"Ok…" Hotch said slowly, his little response full of underlying meaning.

Dave glanced up at the floor numbers as they slowly ticked by. _Damn, why did the BAU have to be on the eighth floor?_

"It's not my fault Will totally assumed the wrong thing," Dave added.

"I know," Hotch surprised him by agreeing.

Dave shot him a pleased look just as the elevator door dinged open. "Exactly."

He stepped out of the elevator, thinking the conversation was over. _No such luck…_

"It _only_ looked like you were holding her nice and tightly," Hotch said from behind him, amusement lighting his tone.

Dave allowed himself a mental sigh, before turning back around.

"What do _you_ think happened?"

Hotch gave him a look, which he took to mean, "Do you really want to know?" and all Dave could do was gesture for him to continue.

"Ok," Hotch said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think you've got to be blind not to see JJ's beauty…"

"She's with _Will_, Hotch," Dave said wryly, not really believing they were having this conversation.

"It doesn't take us, Dave, to figure out that things are rocky on that front," Hotch stated what Dave had already deduced.

"Let me get this straight, Aaron, are you actually encouraging me to pursue JJ?" he said wondrously. "Because, last time I checked, fraternization between co-workers was still strictly frowned upon."

"Never stopped you before," Hotch said, too nonchalantly.

Dave stared at his friend incredulously, "Hotch, I..."

He was more than a little speechless.

"Dave, of course I'm not encouraging you," Hotch replied, sternly. "I'm trying to see where your head's at, because, yeah, things down in that basement did seem to be a little cozy. And then there's the whole other story about how you went above my head and Strauss' to get her back—"

"We all wanted her back," Dave replied, reasonably.

"Yes," Hotch agreed. "But _you're _the only one who took the time and the risks to get her back. And I'm just trying to figure out what that says about your feelings."

"My feelings?" Dave echoed, confused.

"Yeah," Hotch answered.

They went quiet, as Dave tried to figure out what had just transpired. _Do I have… feelings?_

He shook his head. _This was ridiculous!_

He let out a snort of incredulity as he stepped around his good friend. He patted Hotch on the shoulder. "Sure, Hotch, feelings, right…"

But as he walked away he couldn't get those two bright, blue orbs out of his mind.

_Feelings?_

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><p>Dave was sitting in his office, mulling over Hotch's words, getting absolutely nowhere.<p>

_Feelings for JJ?_

There was no denying she was gorgeous. And who could ignore those eyes; no body with the sense of sight, that was for sure. And when she bestowed you with one of her one-hundred watt smiles, you felt… reborn. JJ was a wonder. But feelings… he wasn't so sure…

He'd been in his office alone, all of ten minutes, before a knock sounded at his door. He let out a long-suffering sigh, pinching at the bridge of his nose to stave off his sudden headache.

"Come in," he called, totally unenthused.

When the door opened and revealed the Detective's hesitant face, it wasn't his imagination when his headache suddenly intensified.

"Will?" he said, not hiding his surprise. "What can I do for you?"

Will took this as an invitation to come in and close the door behind him. He paced the room once, twice, before stopping to face Dave.

"I just wanted to say thank you for helping JJ out."

Dave raised an eyebrow at the considerably younger, than him, man. Will's words were totally innocuous, but his tone was anything but.

"You're… welcome?" Dave replied unsurely.

Will turned around on spot, laughing humourlessly. When he turned to re-face him he looked a great deal more put out.

"Oh, and can I also congratulate you on single-handily decimating my entire family," Will bit out, running a shaky hand through his hair.

"Excuse me?" Dave replied, totally caught off guard.

_For God's sake, I just caught the woman before she'd hurt herself considerably!_

If he'd been caught kissing her, then he would be able to understand Will's obvious animosity towards him.

"You couldn't leave well enough alone," Will ranted. "JJ'd been promoted to a steady job! We were good. We had her back. But then you come along and then suddenly Henry and I are only seeing her twice a week!"

"Will—" Dave tried to cut him off.

"We were happy!" Will continued.

Dave couldn't help himself; he knew it'd make things worse, but suddenly he was letting out a disdainful sounding snort. "Obviously not."

"What?" Will replied, voice low.

"How could she have been happy after being forced out of a job she loves, Will? She could get used to it, that I can believe, but be happy about it," he shook his head. "It was always her wish to come back. I only helped her out."

"All out of the goodness of your heart?" Will shot back. "Is that what I'm supposed to believe?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dave replied, calmly.

Will crossed his arms over his chest. "We all know about your reputation, Agent Rossi. Just tell me, how does a man get married and divorced three times in the span of ten years?"

Dave wanted to laugh out loud. _It was actually five…_

"Well, Will… I'm not quite sure I'm really getting what you're insinuating…" he trailed off momentarily, coming around his desk to lean against the edge, his own arms crossed over his chest. "Please, enlighten me."

"I'm not insinuating anything. I _believe_ you brought JJ back for a reason," Will explained.

He was sure getting tired of his tone and of being told he'd had ulterior motives. He didn't. At least, not when he'd initially arranged for her to come back. Now… after getting to thinking…

He gave Will a little shrug of his shoulders, he said, "And what if I do… have ulterior motives, that is?"

Ok, so maybe it was a mistake to taunt Will like that; if the vein in his forehead, throbbing furiously, was any indication, he should have probably stopped a long time ago. He sure hoped Will wasn't about to have a heart attack.

Will opened and closed his mouth and then opened it. He looked like he was about to give him a hell of a reply when he was suddenly cut off by the sound of knocking on the door.

"Come in," he quickly called out. _Probably, a good idea to have witnesses when Will seemed to be about to drop dead…_

The door swung open to reveal a suspicious looking, former media liaison. JJ stepped into the room, eyeing both of them carefully before asking, "Is everything all right in here?"

He had the immediate urge to say, "Uh no, your boyfriend, here, is about to either drop dead or kill me…"

But thankfully, he refrained this time around…

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><p>Well that's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Hope you all didn't mind that there were no solo JJ and Rossi scenes, more to come of those in later chapters, for sure.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: Fanatical **Writer; p95000; racegirl17; ilovetvalot** _(thank you! Hope this little chapter brightens your day)_; **and tanama30. **

Once again, let me know what you think! I'll try to update soon! :)

**Oh and just a little note from the moderators at Chit Chat on Author's Corner: The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. First day to send us noms is 9/1! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED! The last day to send in your ballot is October 15, 2011, 11:59pm EDT.**


	4. Damage Control

**A/N:** Hey all. Here's the latest chapter. It's short, I know, but I'll hopefully be able to update soon. Let me know what you think!

And I'm putting this very important note up top, because time is running out to nominate your favourite stories/authors.

**From ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969, the two lovely moderators at the forum Chit Chat on Authors Corner: ****The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. Time is running out. The LAST day to submit your ballot is October 15, 2011, 11:59pm EDT. Remember, without you guys there'd be no awards! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 4: Damage Control:**

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><p>JJ rode the elevator up to the BAU, empty handed—if Hotch wanted the transfer done so badly he could get the damned box himself. She was tired and ready to go home. Only home time was a half a work day away, and these days her home life wasn't particularly restful.<p>

She let out a sigh as she stepped off the elevator and started for the glass doors that led to the bull-pen. She looked up at the upper offices hoping to catch Hotch in his office; she needed to demand an alternate assignment. Luckily, he was there and she started across the noisy bull-pen when a loud squeal suddenly halted her progress.

A second later she was nearly bull-dozed over by her extremely hyperactive best friend.

"Oh, peaches," Penelope greeted her endearingly; she proceeded to give her a big hug. "I just heard. Thank goodness you're all right."

"You just… heard?" JJ repeated, confused.

Penelope pulled back to nod at her emphatically. "About your near death experience and your triumphant rescue by our very own Italian Stallion."

JJ made a face as she tried to hide her laughter at her friend's latest nickname.

Garcia returned the look. "What, too much?"

"Just a bit," JJ confided.

"Yeah, I'm trying to come up with a good one for him," Garcia added. "Guess I'll keep trying."

JJ smiled at her friend. "How'd you know about my fall? It was literally only ten minutes ago?"

_News couldn't travel that fast, could it?_

"Will," Penelope stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Will?" she echoed. She thought she'd made it perfectly clear to him that she did not want to speak with him until she returned home.

"Yeah," Garcia continued, "He came up and I ran into him. That's when he told me what happened. And then he said he was going up to thank Rossi. Isn't he a sweetheart?"

Warning bells suddenly rang in JJ's head. "He went to see Dave?" JJ asked for clarification purposes.

"Yep," Garcia answered. "He's up there right now."

_Crap,_ JJ cursed. She abruptly left her friend's side and started for the stairs. She took them two at a time, listening for tell-tale signs of trouble—yelling, banging, or, you know, gun shots…

She didn't hear anything as she approached Rossi's closed door. But that didn't mean anything. One of them could already be dead for all she knew.

Tentatively, she knocked on Rossi's door. She waited for a response, anything, and let out a huge sigh of relief when she heard Rossi call out, "Come in."

_At least he's alive…_

She turned the door knob, pushing the door open and stepped inside. Immediately, her gaze lit on the two men; both looked perfectly healthy. That was something. But if they weren't chewing each other out, what were they doing?

JJ gave each of them, in turn, a suspicious look. "Is everything all right in here?"

She looked from one to the other, both remaining tight-lipped. Neither was going to tell her what was going on, she realized. After sharing one last charged look with Dave, urging him with her eyes to reveal all, she turned back to Will.

"Will, I thought we agreed that I'd see you back at home?" she said, mincing her words carefully.

Will gave her a look that she could only read as disgusted, before announcing, "Forget this!" and then proceeded to stomp out of the office.

JJ threw Rossi, who'd been watching her closely, an embarrassed look.

"I'm sorry about this, Dave," she apologized, before running after the father of her child.

She caught sight of him just as he was approaching the top of the stairs. "Will," she called out, hoping he'd pause and not make her run after him, causing a scene. All she needed was Strauss catching wind of her soap-opera-y day…

Luckily, he stopped on the second step. He turned around to face her, his movements very reluctant. She hurried to catch up to him. She gave a self-conscious look around, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

"What, JJ?" Will asked, voice tired.

She took a deep breath. "What did you and Agent Rossi speak about?" she asked.

"Look," he said, voice full of derision. "_You_ said we'd talk at home, so let's talk at home, ok…"

He started the climb down the stairs, leaving JJ to call after him, "Will?" feeling too helpless for comfort.

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><p>That's it for this. Hope you enjoyed.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing: **HansonFanGermany; Longbourn22; p95000; SunnyInOregon; DreamerChild88; ilovetvalot; and cmrocks.**

Next chapter should be out by Sunday at the latest.


	5. Can This Day Get Any Better?

**A/N:** Hey all! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I would have had it up sooner, but the flu hit me last week and I just didn't have the energy to write. But I'm back with an extra drama filled chapter. Hope you guys enjoy angst. As always please R&R. Reviews are very appreciated and are what tell us writers whether we're on the right track or not. Thanks!

Super important note:

**From ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969, the two lovely moderators at the forum Chit Chat on Authors Corner: The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. Time is running out. The LAST day to submit your ballot is October 15, 2011, 11:59pm EDT. Remember, without you guys there'd be no awards! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 5: Can This Day Get Any Better?**

* * *

><p>JJ let out a weary sigh as she put her signature to her last case file. After her disconcerting chat with Will, she'd gone to Hotch and he'd given her a few case files that required general consultations. She'd been working away at them since then. Now, as she poked her head up from her new desk in the bullpen, she was quite startled to find it empty. She glanced at her watch quickly and was even more surprised to see that it was 8pm.<p>

"Ugh, Will isn't going to be too happy with me," she said to the air.

"Talking to yourself?"

She jumped in her seat and searched the area for the source of the amused voice.

"Up here."

She glanced upwards to see Dave leaning over the railing, looking down. JJ expected her heart to stop racing once the source of her startle was found, but as he smiled down at her, that lazy sort of smile, she found her heart-rate picking up considerably.

"Hello," he said easily.

"Hell…" she stuttered, "…lo…"

She willed herself to get a hold of her emotions as he gave her a throaty chuckle. JJ watched him climb down the stairs, his own gaze zeroed in on her. He was heading right for her. She stood up almost involuntarily; her body seemed to be the one in control now, not her mind.

They met in the middle of the bullpen.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked her quizzically.

She looked back at her desk to the neatly stacked pile of completed consults. "Working, apparently," she answered wryly.

He frowned at her which instantly had her frowning. Why did she suddenly feel like her body's reactions were in sync with his? When he smiled, she smiled, when he laughed, she laughed…

She gave herself a mental shake. _Come on, JJ, get a grip. That's ridiculous!_

"You should get on home, JJ," he replied. You've got a family, you should be with them. I'm sure they miss you."

She let an unfeminine snort of incredulity slip and his eyebrow rose once in question.

"Sorry," she said quickly, not really sure what she was apologizing for. She just felt flustered all of the sudden.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked sincerely.

She looked up into his eyes, eyes that said, "You can tell me anything, I will do anything…"

JJ actually shook her head this time, partly to say 'no thanks,' and partly to get these strange, random thoughts out of her head. "I'm ok, thanks."

He gave her a look. She knew he didn't believe her. But what could she do, cry on his shoulder? Tell him that Will was not turning out to be the man she initially thought he was? No, she wouldn't burden him with her problems.

"Ok, JJ," he said in understanding. "Go home, all right?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze, his thumb brushing the bare skin where shirt ended and collarbone was exposed in the process. It was the tiniest of touches, so why did the simple brush send shockwaves to her core? If she'd been moving she would have stumbled, that's how intense of a reaction she'd had. As it were, she needed to sit down, but first she needed to know if it was just her.

JJ locked eyes with the older man seeing the wave of… desire in his eyes. But it was gone so quickly, only to be replaced with concern.

Her initial thought was, "Oh my God, my superior wants me!"

But now, as she looked into his eyes, she had no idea if what she'd seen was real. Maybe she was coming down with something?

"JJ," he asked, "You feeling all right?"

His other hand came to rest on her free shoulder and an intense heat followed the same path as the shockwaves had through her body.

_Ok, I'm too young for hot flashes,_ she thought to herself. _What the hell?_

"Uh…" she started so eloquently. "You know… I'm not sure…"

His worried look intensified.

"You know what, I'm going to go," she informed.

She detached herself from his grip and felt strangely cold.

_I must have a fever_, she deduced.

JJ made her way to her desk, grabbing her coat and briefcase.

"Feel better," he called affectionately.

She turned to see him watching her carefully. Her heart melted at his obvious concern. She gave him a small smile and wave and then was off. Heart aflutter, she vowed to take an extra strength Advil once home. She sure hoped Will would take pity on her poor sick self and save the talk for later.

* * *

><p>"JJ, we need to talk, now!" Will demanded of her.<p>

She rubbed at her hurting head. She'd given herself a headache on the ride over from the BAU, trying to run through all her body's reactions earlier and what they could add up to sickness-wise. So far her jumble of random symptoms didn't add to anything she'd ever had before.

JJ stared up at her partner and father of her very precious child. The look she gave him was incredulous. JJ had been home all of two seconds before the father of her child practically jumped on her to have the talk she knew they really needed to have.

Nevertheless, was it really too much to ask to have dinner first? Maybe that Advil she so desperately needed? She conveyed all this to the father of her child through her eyes, hoping he'd see how haggard she looked and felt.

"JJ," he tried again, voice condescending.

She had to keep reminding herself that he was Henry's father. Because, hell, his voice was grating on her nerves. JJ was glad she'd locked her gun in the safe before sitting down.

"I heard you the first two times, Will," she said, pinching at her nose, hoping in some way that would help.

It didn't.

"What do you want to talk about? My job?" she questioned, letting out a tired sigh. "I don't know what there's left to talk about. We've been over this many times, I'm not going to quit. End of story."

Will frowned at that, coming to sit next to her. "No, that's been made quite clear. Job comes before family, got that. That's not what I want to talk about."

JJ barely held in her groan at his misconstrued vision of her values. She needed to remain the bigger person. "Then what, Will? Can't it wait till the weekend? I'm seriously beat."

"No, it can't wait," he said simply.

JJ stared into the face of the man she'd once believed to be able to do no wrong. He really wanted to do this tonight. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself.

"Ok, what is it? What do you want to talk about?"

He grimaced and blurted out, "Agent Rossi."

On guard, she asked, "What about Dave?"

"You need to be careful around him," he stated.

She gave him a blank look, hoping for more info. When none followed she gave him an exasperated sigh.

"I need to be careful around an FBI agent? Will, are you completely delusional? He's not going to hurt me!" she blurted out, slightly harsher than she would have been if she'd been rested.

He frowned at her. "God, JJ, not like that. You really think I'm some kind of idiot, don't you?"

She was angry but she hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. She let out a breath, hoping to exhale some of her hostility with it. "I'm sorry, Will. I'm just tired. What did you mean?"

That seemed to assuage him a bit. The hurt look was gone, replaced by one JJ couldn't really decipher.

"I talked to him today," he reminded her.

JJ's ears perked up. Finally, someone was going to let her in on the secret.

"You need to stay away from him, JJ, he's got… issues."

"Will," she said, long-sufferingly, "I work with him. I can't stay away from him. I don't want to stay away from him. Dave is my friend."

He looked annoyed with her. Apparently, she wasn't getting him cryptic message.

"He may be your friend, JJ, but he's got something else on his mind other than friendship," Will informed her.

It took her a second for her to figure out what Will was saying. When she thought she had it the implications hit her like a ton of bricks.

_Was he saying… that Dave… that he…_

She couldn't even fully process the thought or the emotions that came with it. Curiosity. Incredulity. Want. Exasperation. Desire.

Her head throbbed all the more as she blurted out, "Will, you better not be saying what I think you're saying."

"JJ, that guy has only one thing on his brain when it comes to you, and it's not your new profiling brain," Will said snidely.

It was his tone and outright mean look on his face that had her doing what she did next. The hard slap echoed throughout their quiet house.

"How dare you, Will?" she fumed. "How dare you imply that Dave… God, Will, what's wrong with you?"

Will put a hand to his stinging cheek. He glared back at her. "Open your eyes, JJ. The man wants you. He's going to break this family apart and you're letting him, everyday you walk into that damned place!"

The sound of her son crying interrupted their argument and nearly brought her to tears. Their fighting had woken Henry up.

She stood up, visibly shaking, bee-stinging mad. "No, Will, the only one attempting to break this family up is you. When are you going to stop with the accusations and accept that this is our life now? I'm in the BAU again, that's not going to change no matter what lie you imply."

She gave him a last look, shaking her head disgustedly. How did it come to this?

"I'm going to comfort my son," she added coldly. "I suggest one of us sleep in the guest room tonight."

She walked away, almost out of the room, when Will shouted, "Ask him tomorrow, JJ. Ask him what he said to me just before you interrupted us. Then you'll have your proof."

JJ didn't turn around. She kept walking. She needed the comfort only her precious son could bring her.

JJ opened her son's door only to hear the front door slam. Well, she guessed that solved the problem of who'd be in the guest room.

"Hey honey," she said to her little boy who was sitting up in bed. She made sure to make her voice as soothing as possible. "Did you have a bad dream?"

She came to sit on the edge of his bed. Henry instantly wrapped his arms around her body. "Mommy, where's daddy?" he mumbled.

JJ ran a hand through his pale blonde hair. So, it hadn't been a nightmare and had been their fighting that woke him.

"He had to go out sweetie," she said tiredly. "He'll be back soon."

"Mommy, are you and daddy getting a 'vorce, like Jack's mommy and daddy did?"

JJ took a sharp intake of breath at her son's astute question. Skipping over the fact that you had to be married to get a divorce she answered, "Aww sweetie, sometimes grown-ups don't agree on things. We yell. But that doesn't mean we don't love you."

"Do you love daddy?" Henry asked, leaning back to stare up at her with the same blue eyes as hers.

She opened her mouth to answer, but a second later she shut it. Did she still love Will? She searched inside herself for that spark she used to feel when she thought of the southern detective. It was conspicuously missing. _Maybe it's because I'm so furious with him… yeah, that's it._

Still, she brought Henry back to her chest, hugging him tightly as she answered, "Of course, honey."

Because saying it to his face didn't seem quite right.

* * *

><p>Well that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you think.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's reading. And thanks to those who took the time to review: **LadyElena17; Longbourn22; Fanatical Writer; p95000; celticgina; and ilovetvalot.**

I am going to try my hardest to update in the next two days or so. See you then!


	6. Realizations

**A/N:** Hey all! So sorry for the super long wait! I don't really have an excuse, so I hope you'll forgive me. I did start this chapter awhile ago and then I took a look at it yesterday, decided what I had wrote was completely crap, threw it out and restarted it. So, long story, short, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 6:** **Realizations:**

* * *

><p>JJ awoke the next morning with an unusual pounding in her head. It wasn't the norm for her to get headaches, especially right after waking up, so she racked her brain to figure out what was the cause of the current throbbing.<p>

She didn't have to think long, when she flipped onto her side and found her bed's usual other occupant not there. It all came back to her then. Will seeing her in a compromising position with Dave; him accusing Dave of wanting her back at work for one particular reason—which was completely ridiculous since the man was way too sophisticated for her; and then finally Will stomping out of the house as she attempted to console their three year old.

It was the last of those incidents that had done it, caused her headache, she was sure. Seeing her son in tears because he'd overheard his parents fighting had put her to tears. After getting Henry to go back to sleep, she'd gone to her own room and burst into tears.

_How did it come to this? _she had lamented. _How did they become _that_ family? _

The fighting had been occurring too often of late and it seemed no matter what she'd do or say it was always the cause of some kind of fuss. She'd had no idea what affect her strained relationship with Will had on her son until last night. Now she had to wonder, what kind of mother was she to put her baby through this crap? Maybe she should have never gone back to the BAU… maybe that would have solved all their issues…

And yet even as she thought it she knew it was wrong. The BAU was her home and the people comprising the team were her family.

JJ rubbed a hand over her face as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. God, she was tired. She definitely would need copious amounts of coffee to get her through the day.

She heard some rattling coming from somewhere outside her bedroom. JJ quickly thought of all the possibilities as to what could be causing it. And then it hit her. She had the vague recollection of Will coming into their room in the middle of the night, rummaging around and then leaving. He must have decided to come home and into their room to get his sleeping things and then he'd taken her advice and slept in the guest room.

She let out a groan. Did she really want to confront Will so early in the morning? She already felt like crap. JJ seriously considered the idea of going back to sleep (or at least faking it) until he left.

Shaking her head, she got out of bed. She had to get Henry ready and if she didn't get up that instant she'd eventually be late for work. Letting out a sigh, she trudged herself to their ensuite bathroom and began her morning ritual of making herself presentable.

* * *

><p>Approximately twenty minutes after getting up JJ was all set for the day. Dressed in a magenta colored, cap-sleeved, crocheted sweater and her black pencil skirt, with her black strappy heels, she actually felt a bit better. Her motto was if you can't feel good, look good. And the looking good was making her feel up to today's challenges. A quick look in the mirror told her she'd even done a decent job of covering up the lingering dark circles under her eyes; only if you looked really hard could you tell that she'd had a difficult night.<p>

She shrugged her shoulders at her reflection. She'd just have to deal. And speaking of dealing… it was time to face her partner.

JJ exited their bedroom and headed towards the kitchen/living room space. The TV was turned on to morning cartoons and was quite loud so the clicking of her heels on the dark hardwood floor was masked. This was a good thing because the sight she found there had her mouth dropping open.

She watched on as Will, with Henry sitting at the island, flipped a pancake in a frying pan.

_Will was making breakfast? Will never makes breakfast,_ she thought confusedly.

"Daddy," she heard Henry say in his own confused voice.

"Yeah, Henry?" Will replied ever so patiently.

"How come you're making pancakes?" Henry posed. "It's not Sunday… and mommy's the one who makes them…"

Henry had to be the smartest three year old in the world. He was asking the exact questions she wanted answers to.

Will poured a scoopful of batter into the now empty pan. He set it back on the stove top, letting out a sigh as he gave his son his full attention.

"Well, buddy, your daddy said some things to mommy—"

"Mean things?" Henry piped up helpfully.

From JJ's position near the hallway she could see Will grimace. "Yeah, Henry. I was very mad… and now I just want to say I'm sorry."

"Oh…" Henry said like he completely understood. "So you're making mommy special pancakes… to tell her you loves her right?"

JJ's heart absolutely melted as she listened to her son exhibit his innocence. God, she wished things could be easily fixed by simple, special pancakes.

Will nodded his answer.

"You should make them heart shaped," Henry suggested.

And JJ took that as her cue to get in there. "Morning boys," she greeted cheerfully, not even faking it. Watching her son always put her in a good mood and the scene she'd just witnessed had put her more at ease.

"Mommy!" Henry exclaimed before Will could get in a word. Henry grabbed a plate off the counter and struggled to get off the high stool. With a quick pick up and put down by Will, Henry was rushing towards her.

"Hey sweetheart," she said affectionately; she had the intense urge to squeeze him and never let go.

"Mommy, daddy says he's sorry," Henry blurted out, holding out the pancakes.

JJ's eyes lifted to meet Will's lighter blue gaze. He did look sorry and hesitant at the same time. He also looked worried. She gave him a small smile, hoping it conveyed her message: "I haven't forgotten, but I will forgive."

He nodded demurely.

"Henry, give those to mommy and we'll make some more, ok?" Will encouraged.

JJ smiled taking the pancakes from their son as she followed him to the island. There, the little family finished up a breakfast that had been mostly dominated by Henry's three year old chatter as both adults feared saying anything to hurt their son.

Finally, Henry ran into the living room to finish up one of his cartoons, leaving JJ alone with Will.

"JJ—"

"Will—"

They both spoke at the same time, stopping abruptly at the same time. They smiled at each other and JJ gestured for Will to go on.

"I _am_ sorry," he said simply. "Things got out of line yesterday on my part and I said some things…"

JJ nodded. "I'm sorry, too, Will. I came home frustrated and angry and not ready to talk or listen… We should try talking again…"

"Yeah," Will agreed solemnly. "Tonight?"

"Sure," JJ confirmed.

"All right," Will said, sounding relieved. "Why don't you head out, get yourself some coffee. I'll get Henry ready today."

JJ gave him an appreciative look before giving Henry a kiss and heading out.

_That hadn't been so bad. Maybe they could fix things after all…_

* * *

><p>Dave hadn't slept well last night. That's why he was finding it difficult keeping his eyes open. He made his way to the BAU break-room to grab another coffee—his fourth already and it wasn't even nine in the morning. He would need it, he was sure. He saw agents going back and forth between Hotch's and Strauss' office. He was sure they had some kind of case on their hands.<p>

He'd been up most of the night running though the previous day's events and revelations, trying to get his head wrapped around what he'd learned. And what had he learned? A whole list of things, that was for sure. But the gist of it was: Dave was more than a little attracted to JJ.

That one thought ran through his head over and over again. It was ingrained in him, a part of him now. He wouldn't be able to deny it if anyone asked him outright: how do you feel about JJ?

So after figuring out that he indeed had feelings for the blonde beauty—just as Hotch had suspected—he had spent the rest of his night running through exactly why he suddenly realized he had feelings for her.

Dave had always held a deep admiration for JJ. Ever since the first day he'd met her. Her job hadn't been the only special thing about her, he could tell even back then. And even Hotch's claim yesterday about JJ's beauty wasn't the only reason he'd found himself suddenly attracted. He had concluded last night that it was every single thing about her that had every cell in his body craving her.

Her beauty, her caring, even her work ethic that rivalled their very own Unit Chief's drew him to her.

So after figuring out that he secretly—well, not so secretly anymore—wanted a chance at happiness with the young mother, the rest of his night was spent fantasizing about happy little scenarios with him and JJ together. Him, JJ and Henry spending a happy day together at the zoo. Him and JJ standing at the altar, staring lovingly into each others eyes. Him and JJ sharing his bed, moving as one all night long.

Dave generally just wanted to make the woman happy. And after yesterdays various incidents it had become quite clear to him that she wasn't getting that at the moment in her current situation.

He had stood at the railing last night, watching her for several minutes throw herself into work. She'd stayed late, he was sure, because she really wanted to avoid going home.

He let out a sigh. And he knew he'd only made things worse when he'd taunted Will with his non-existent ulterior motives. Dave sure hoped that Will had left that little tidbit to himself, because as much as he now knew he wanted JJ, he didn't want to complicate things further for the sensitive woman.

"Morning Dave," he heard from behind him.

As if thinking about her had conjured her from his mind, he turned around to find JJ giving him a smile. He took a moment to take her all in, from the bottom of her heeled feet up along the curves of her hips, up to that wonderfully crocheted sweater that showed peeks of skin though little eyelets, all the way to her beautiful face.

She was giving him a look that he couldn't really decipher. Realizing a second too late that she was wondering at his unusual once over look he opened his mouth to quickly rectify his uncontrolled blunder. But all that came out was, "Good morning, JJ."

When she didn't call him a creep and instead flushed a nice shade of pink he deduced that he was in the clear for now. But now that he knew that he was indeed in the like with JJ he'd have to try his best to control his body's urges.

JJ seemed on the verge of saying more when suddenly Hotch was standing next to them.

"Hey," he addressed both of them, but he only put a hand to the top of JJ's back.

Sudden anger coursed through Dave's body, and a primal thought of "Hands off, she's mine!" surged through his brain.

He had to give himself a mental shake when Hotch shot him a strange look. It was just an innocent touch; of course Hotch didn't like her in that way.

"We've got a case," he announced. "We're meeting in the conference room in five."

"Ok," JJ answered, bestowing on Hotch a smile that sent that same thought through him again. "I just got to drop my things off at my desk and I'll be right up."

She moved past them, turning to give them a look when neither of them moved. Her eyes met Rossi's briefly. He could see the question in her eyes.

He wasn't doing so well controlling himself.

Rossi started to move but was stopped by Hotch stepping in his way.

"Are you ok?" Hotch outright asked.

"I'm fine," he replied calmly.

"You didn't seem fine a second ago," Hotch denied. "Did I do something?"

Rossi let out a sigh. He was being completely ridiculous. "No," he answered simply, still not being able to elaborate.

Hotch continued to stare at him unsurely, until he stepped out of his path.

"All right," Hotch said unsurely. "See you in the conference room."

_God, am I going to attack every man that comes within touching distance of her?_ he asked himself.

This was definitely going to take some adjusting to.

* * *

><p>Well, that's it for this one. I hope you all enjoyed this longish chapter. It's not my best work, but it's something at least. It was also sort of a filler chapter to see the aftermath of the drama from the previous chapters. Next few chapters will go back to drama because I love it and drama is my middle name (along with procrastination). Lol.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's reading and alerting, and thanks to those who are reviewing: **Wiccagirl24** _(thanks so much! Don't know if I'll write more JJ/Rossi stories, but I'm glad I've got a willing audience. :) );_ **Longbourn22** _(Oh she'll definitely be tempted and Rossi always tells the truth. ;) ); _**HansonFanGermany; CatCrimMindsFan; Graveygraves** _(thanks!);_ **angel85qcca; racegirl17; spottedhorse; p95000; and ilovetvalot.**

I will try to update soon.


	7. Easier Said Than Done

**A/N:** Hey all. Sorry for the wait once again. I just got myself a temporary, full time position with a school, so I've suddenly become very busy. But, I managed to find a few moments to get this update out. I hope you all enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 7: Easier Said Than Done:**

* * *

><p>JJ listened as Will expressed how unhappy he was that she was currently in San Diego instead of being on the freeway, on her way home to him.<p>

"I know, Will," she said into the phone, not really knowing what she was saying. All she knew was that she wanted off the phone and now. But he didn't seem like he was anywhere near finished with his rant and rave.

She'd stepped into the deserted hallway of the precinct to make the call. Her intentions had been to call Will, let him know where she was, and than speak with Henry. After ten minutes of being on the phone, JJ had yet to speak with her son.

"Yes, I understand," she said absently.

She looked up from the floor when she heard footsteps coming her way only to see Dave popping around the corner. When his eyes landed on her it was obvious to JJ that he'd been looking for her.

Her whole demeanour changed at the thought. She stood up a little straighter and the creases between her eyebrows un-furrowed. A smile was twitching to be had on her lips.

"JJ," he said quickly, as if he was so glad to have found her.

She held up one finger to him as she attempted to cut Will off.

"Will, I've got to go, something's come up," she said quickly.

She hung up the phone while he was still talking, sure that she didn't want to hear anymore out of him, especially when she heard his parting words, "Wait, is that Rossi?"

JJ turned her full attention on the older man. The smile had made its way forth. "Hey," she greeted, pleasantly.

"Hi," he replied, giving her that warm smile that did funny things to her insides. "Everything ok?"

She gave him a puzzled look. When he pointed to her phone she realized that she'd momentarily forgotten about Will.

"Oh yeah, fine," she was quick to respond. He gave her a disbelieving look that had her amending her statement. She let out a sigh and added, "We were supposed to talk… Will and I… tonight…"

"Ah…" Rossi replied knowingly.

"Yeah…"

He gave her a look. "It's none of my business, JJ, but … Is everything all right at home?"

She frowned. He was right, it wasn't his business. But looking at the concern clearly displayed on his face she knew he was just worried for her as a friend.

"It will be…" she assured.

He reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder in a completely friendly gesture. Will was totally wrong, JJ concluded. Dave only saw her as a colleague, a friend at most; she had no idea what he'd been referring to yesterday. She just didn't see it. And then…

JJ felt his hand rub one, slow circle into her shoulder. The move was totally innocent and yet… She looked up into his eyes to see something burning there in their depths. It wasn't an emotion that she could totally decipher, but she could say that friendship wasn't a word that she'd use to describe it at all.

"JJ?"

She shook herself out of her sudden, strange thoughts. "Sorry…" she murmured. Still, wondering at the brief glimmer that she'd caught. It was gone now… or masked with his concern for her.

"If you're ok… Hotch wants us to go speak with Kate's family…" Rossi said tentatively.

JJ eyed him suspiciously. Suddenly he was treating her more as a friend than as a co-worker. Something was up.

"Ok…" she answered. "I'll be right there."

He gave her another look and then walked away.

She let out a sigh. It wasn't that that one touch had her suddenly believing Will's claims that Dave had ulterior motives when it came to her. Of course he didn't… but something had changed that caused the man's demeanour towards her to also change subtly.

A sudden thought struck her. Maybe it was her actions towards him that provoked the change. In the past two days she couldn't say her behaviour around the older man was exactly professional. The fact that she could barely stay her normal shade of color around him was something even she could not ignore at this point.

_A crush…_

The whisper of a thought popped into her mind.

_Do I have a crush on Dave?_ she thought quickly. She thought of the moment he'd caught her, how warm and safe she felt in his arms. The blush that formed on her face told her all she needed to know.

"Oh man," she groaned out loud. _I've got a crush on Dave._

* * *

><p>Dave climbed into the driver's side of the SUV, sparing a quick look at the unusually quiet blonde already seated in the passenger seat. They were just leaving the victim's family's house, after speaking with them. Though JJ had done her job, doing most of the talking with the family, he could tell that there was something else on her mind. And it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it had something to do with earlier.<p>

The conversation they'd had had been brief, so he knew it wasn't something he'd said. If he gave it some hard thought though, he knew that her silence would stem from the look he'd given her. He hadn't been able to help it.

The first thing you learned as a profiler was that words were the easy things to control, to manipulate; body language was a whole other story. And JJ, being a new profiler, had this lesson fresh in her mind. No wonder, she'd look at him strangely after that.

He hadn't meant to let anything slip. But hearing her part of her conversation with Will had him thinking that Will was not the man for JJ, but that _he_ was. And the look and touch he'd given her had probably conveyed that to her.

_God, Dave,_ he scolded himself, as he turned on the engine. _Way to control yourself. She definitely thinks you're a creep now._

He gave her another look. Her head was turned so that she was staring out the window. He wished he could read minds.

Even after he'd discovered he was attracted to her he'd decided to not pursue her. He knew her life was complicated at the moment and he did not want to add to that. Funny how one slip up had done just that.

He started to drive back, trying to figure out how to gently broach the subject of his like for her, when instead, she spoke up first.

"Are we ok, Dave?" she asked in a low voice.

He would have thought he'd imagined her speak, but as he took his eyes off the road, he could see that she was now watching him.

"I think so," he replied slowly, not really sure what exactly to say.

"Good," she answered. She let out a sigh… of relief? "You've been a real good _friend_ to me, Dave. I wouldn't want that to change, ever."

He didn't miss her emphasis on the word friend. So, she'd figured him out. This was her letting him down gently. Well, he couldn't say that he wasn't disappointed.

"It won't," he tried to assure, but his voice came out gruff.

She gave him a confused look. But he couldn't elaborate. He had no words left. He knew it'd be a long shot that she'd return his feelings. It still felt like a blow, though.

Now that he knew JJ's true feelings he'd have to work hard to change his own.

Sparing her a quick glance, she was still watching him with those amazing blue eyes.

_Easier said than done…_

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing: **HansonFanGermany; Dreamerchild88; hot4booth** _(as shipper of JJ/Hotch I couldn't resist throwing that little part in. lol. But, don't worry this is definitely a JJ/Rossi fic); _**pandorabox82;** **celticgina; p95000; Longbourn22; and ilovetvalot. **

_Next chapter: JJ has an enlightening conversation with Hotch that leads to a hotel room scene…_


	8. Something To Talk About

**A/N:** Hey all! Sorry for the wait. New job has been keeping me busy. Its winter break at the moment, so I'm hoping to get in multiple updates before the break is through. So here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 8: Something to Talk About:**

* * *

><p>JJ made her way down to the hotel bar, eager to get some drink into her. It'd been a long, exhausting week and she could have kissed Hotch when he'd said their flight would be delayed a day.<p>

Though she missed Henry fiercely, she was in no rush to get back home to Will. The phone calls she'd been making home had just become more and more hostile and they drained her. That, combined with the sudden, unexpected awkwardness around Dave, well… she just needed to drown her sorrows.

When she entered the bar she was surprised to see Hotch seated at the bar, a glass of something already in hand. It was clear that he wasn't in the best mood either and she debated whether to head over and disturb his obvious attempt at forgetting something.

But in the end the statement, 'misery loves company' won over and she made her way over to seat herself at the stool right next to his; they were hip to hip.

"Hey," she greeted demurely. She gave the bartender her drink order and turned to stare at her boss, he hadn't said anything. "You ok?"

"I missed Jack's kindergarten graduation ceremony yesterday," he informed her, a rare hint of emotion entering his voice.

JJ's mood fell all the more. Sad for Hotch, but also sad for herself because it was a great possibility she'd miss things like that in Henry's life.

She put a hand on Hotch's forearm. "I'm sure Jack understands."

Hotch shrugged. "I called him. He said it's ok because I'm catching the bad guys." JJ's heart melted at the little boy's sweetness. "Still…"

JJ gave his arm a brief rub. "He knows you love him…"

Hotch nodded. JJ's drink was placed in front of her and she didn't waste any time in picking it up and taking a generous sip.

"Will?" Hotch said unexpectedly, causing her to give him a sharp glance. There was only concern in his eyes. "Sorry… it's just that I've noticed you've been tense these past few days. I guess he's not entirely happy that you're back with us, is he?"

She let out an unfeminine sounding snort. "Understatement of the century," she scoffed, taking another sip.

Hotch nodded once again. "Our job isn't easy, especially if you have a family."

She let out a sigh. "It's not even just that. Will's got some insane ideas about what goes on while we're away," she confessed, the alcohol making her tongue looser; she'd always been a bit of a light weight.

"Oh?" Hotch questioned, amused. "What, he thinks we have wild sex parties or something?"

JJ threw Hotch a shocked look and realized the alcohol must have been getting to him, too. Still she laughed. "Nothing that insane…"

"So, what _does_ he think?" Hotch asked curiously.

"He thinks," she paused, taking another long sip. She laughed out loud at the absurdity of what she was about to say. "He thinks… that Dave helped to bring me back to the BAU because he's got, I don't know, feelings for me or something…"

She laughed heartily at her own words; when she realized that Hotch was not laughing along with her, she stopped abruptly.

"What?" she said unsurely, as he gave her a considering look that unnerved her.

Hotch looked down and quickly stuttered out a, "No… nothing."

She could clearly tell he was trying to cover up what he really thought. She would not let it go that easily.

"Really Hotch, what are you thinking?" she insisted.

He frowned at her. She could see the debate going on inside his mind through his dark eyes. _To tell her or not tell her, that is the question…_

Hotch opened his mouth and closed it several times.

"Hotch!" she exclaimed in frustration.

"Ok, ok," he gave in, still frowning. "I should not be saying this."

"What?" she asked bluntly.

He let out a sigh. "I've been watching Dave lately… something's changed…"

_Ok, so she wasn't the only one to notice._

"Yeah," she prompted, finally glad to get to the bottom of all this.

"JJ, are you aware of what he went through to get you back at the BAU?" Hotch asked, surprising her.

She frowned. _What did this have to do with the here and now?_

"He risked his own job to get you back. The director put you on an unofficial probationary period. Any slip up on your part, any complaint about the BAU and both you and he were gone."

"Wh… what?" JJ stuttered out in disbelief.

Hotch was nodding his head. "The Director was pretty pissed off at just the suggestion of bringing you back. I think he thought if he offered up the probationary period Dave would back off. He didn't."

"Oh," JJ added in shock.

She didn't know what to think. When she'd been brought back there was no mention of probation and anger over the decision. Dave had taken the brunt of it, shielding her away from it all, she realized. What did that say about his feelings for her? At the moment, JJ couldn't answer the question; her mind was a haze with the new info.

"Yeah. He trusted in you, believed in you. We all did, of course, all _do_," Hotch assured. "But Dave is the only one who did anything about it. Now what does that say to you, JJ?"

JJ shook her head. After a moment, she realized that Hotch was giving her a pointed look. For a second she just stared back, oblivious. And then it dawned on her.

"Hotch, no," she protested. "You're not suggesting that— You think that Dave— _No_."

"I think he might have feelings for you," Hotch said, apparently feeling the need to spell it out.

She shot him an incredulous look. "Come on… now you sound like Will."

"Look," Hotch said, pausing to down the last of his drink. "True or not, all I'm saying is be careful. Dave is a good man, but sometimes, when it comes to a beautiful woman, he doesn't always use his brain to think."

JJ's mouth dropped open. Now she definitely knew her boss had way too much to drink.

He gave her a wry smile. "I think I've said too much. Better head to bed before I start spouting Beatles' hits. Night JJ."

JJ watched as her Unit Chief quickly made a run for it. The man probably knew that if her mind wasn't so hazy she'd be chewing his head off for all the insinuations he was making.

What was Hotch thinking_?_ So the man had jumped through hoops to get her back, that didn't mean he cared for her any more than just as friends, right? They all wanted her back, after all.

_Yeah, JJ, but Dave is the only one who risked his career for you…_

She groaned out loud, earning her a strange look from the bartender. Her head was absolutely spinning.

And then Will's voice was popping into her head: _"__Ask him tomorrow, JJ. Ask him what he said to me just before you interrupted us. Then you'll have your proof."_

Will was right. There was an easy way to settle all this nonsense. She'd just go up to his room and ask him straight out. Then she'd have her answer once and for all. Her proof that Dave thought of her as nothing more than a friend.

The intense look Dave had given her earlier in the week flashed back through her mind. Those eyes that had searched her soul. Looking for a… connection?

_Ask him,_ she thought, shaking her head.

She stood up abruptly and made her way out of the hotel bar.

* * *

><p>Dave lay back on his hotel bed flipping through the channels absently, never stopping on one for more than 3 seconds. He had too much on his mind to focus. Well he had one thing on his mind: JJ. But she sure as heck took a lot of space.<p>

Ever since JJ had made the request that their friendship never change, things had been pretty static. They were acting just as she asked, friends. And it frustrated the hell out of him.

JJ might just want to be friends; his logical brain was telling him they were just friends. But every other part of him screamed 'partners for life!'

_What the hell was he supposed to do?_

A knock on the door came then to interrupt his troubled thoughts. He eagerly jumped out of bed, ready for a change in mood. But when he opened the door to find a gorgeous looking JJ, he nearly groaned out loud.

"JJ?" he questioned.

She pushed right past him without a word said. He continued to stand at the open door, dumbstruck by her presence. Finally, he shut the door and turned around. He found her standing there in the middle of the room looking so unsure, it wasn't right.

"JJ?" he said again, this time more gently.

She looked up at him. "What did you say to Will?"

He stared back at her surprised by her question. He'd said a number of things to the man. She'd have to be specific.

"That day, you caught me, you spoke to Will in your office," she clarified, "What did you say just before I came in?"

Dave's jaw dropped open. _Crap! _he thought furiously. He was sure all the color had gone from his face. _How'd she find out?_

"Dave," she pleaded, "Tell me."

He looked at her, really looked. Her blue eyes told him she knew already, or guessed at it anyways. And yet there was no hint of the anger or revulsion he was sure he'd see when he'd ever thought of her finding out. Maybe the idea of him to her wasn't as crazy as he'd thought. Either way, he couldn't deny her anything when she turned those blue eyes on him. He was about to find out just what she'd think when he told her of his motives.

"JJ," he began. "I simply implied to Will that I may be interested in you…"

"_May be_?" she demanded. "Come on Dave, which is it? Do you or do you not have feelings for me?

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this one. Hope you enjoyed!<p>

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: **Graveygraves; HansonFanGermany; Longbourn22; p95000; FanaticalWriter; SunnyInOregon; and ilovetvalot.**

Let me know what you think!

Thanks!


	9. A Moment

**A/N:** Hey all! Wow it's been forever since I last updated. A number of things have been going on that have kept me from updating. Number one: writer's block. Two: work. And three: I've been in Cuba for the past week. Back now, and hopefully back to semi-regular updates. I kind of have an idea where I'm going with this story now. So hopefully chapters will be coming more frequently. Anyways… hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Criminal Minds.

_Last time:_

_"That day, you caught me, you spoke to Will in your office," she clarified, "What did you say just before I came in?"_

_How'd she find out?_

_"Dave," she pleaded, "Tell me."_

_"JJ," he began. "I simply implied to Will that I may be interested in you…"_

_"__May be__?" she demanded. "Come on Dave, which is it? Do you or do you not have feelings for me?_

**Chapter 9: A Moment:**

* * *

><p>JJ stared angrily at the man in front of her. Dave blinked at her several times, opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. She could see that he was contemplating several ways of answering her question. All she wanted was one answer, the right one.<p>

"The truth, Dave," JJ demanded. If she took a moment, even she'd be surprised by her assertiveness, her aggression. "I can handle it. I'm not a little girl."

His eyes widened; she watched them roam her body, from head to toe and back again. She held back the shiver that she felt suddenly.

"No, you certainly aren't…" he breathed out.

"Dave," she practically whined.

His eyes met hers in surprise. Probably because he'd never heard her sound so desperate before. She needed to hear his answer, she realized. Why? She wasn't sure yet Wasn't sure she wanted to analyze any of this just yet.

The look in his eyes was intense, but gentle. He opened his mouth to speak and she unconsciously took a step towards him, eager for his answer.

"Yes," he answered. For a second, JJ thought that was all he had to say. But then he was taking a step towards her, closing the space between them. "Yes, I have feelings for you."

And that's all it took, because in the next moment JJ was in his arms. His lips descending over hers in a hungry kiss. Her arms wrapped around his body urging him ever closer, as he kissed her over and over again.

She opened her mouth to him, letting his tongue glide over hers in a sensual rhythm. It wasn't enough. She needed more. She needed to touch him. Her hands slid up to the front of his shirt and she began to unbutton his maroon colored shirt. Her small hands were suddenly caught up in his larger ones, holding them still.

JJ let out a small cry when he wrenched his lips from hers. The loss of contact was a horrible thing.

"JJ…" he said her name hoarsely.

She looked up into his eyes, smoldering dark with desire. But there was a question there, too. He spoke it a moment later.

"Are you sure?"

She was sure she wanted this, this moment right now. She wasn't sure of the rest, the consequences. She didn't want to think about them. Only the here and now. That's all she wanted at the moment.

"Yes," she answered, quickly dipping her head back to meet his lips.

* * *

><p>Dave let out a groan as his alarm rang loudly the next morning. He did not want to get up; he was perfectly content to lounge around all day long in bed. After last night, the bed was his new favorite place to be.<p>

Unfortunately, they were still officially on the job, and they had a plane to catch. If they wanted to get up, get ready and have a talk, they needed to do that now.

He flipped over in bed, "JJ," he said, voice groggy. "Time to get up."

When the beautiful blonde made no motion to move he reached an arm out to her side of bed. All that he found there was the flat surface of the mattress. Curious now, he sat up in bed wondering where she could be. He glanced around the room; there was no sign of her. The door to the bathroom was wide open, she wasn't in there either. Her clothes that they'd thrown off quickly last night were gone, too.

She'd left.

He let himself sit with that thought for a bit. He hadn't allowed himself to stop and think last night. How could he have? She had arrived, she was in his face about his feelings and then she was kissing him; there hadn't been one second for a coherent thought. Now, he could see there was time, and JJ was, apparently, doing her thinking alone.

_Was she all right? Was she regretful? Ashamed? Sorry that it happened?_ He didn't know what to think. The fact that she'd left before he'd awoken told him that she needed time to process things which was understandable. But he sure wished he knew what her state of mind was. _Was she happy with what had occurred between them?_

He knew he was. When instead of running away at his confession she'd thrown herself into his arms, he knew that they could have a future together, knew in that exact moment that he was the man for the petite blonde. She needed someone who would cherish her, protect her, but also understand that she was her own woman who also needed her independence. She needed someone to truly love her. And he knew he would be all that for her, do all that for her.

Dave let out a sigh, running a shaky hand through his thick dark hair. Now he just needed to figure out if JJ would let him be the man for her.

* * *

><p>JJ stepped out of the shower that morning and wrapped a towel around herself. She'd hoped a hot shower would clear her head so that she could think properly, but no such luck. Thoughts were running through her mind at light speed.<p>

After Dave had fallen asleep that night she'd made a run for it. She knew they needed to talk, knew it was probably callous of her to leave him like that. But she had to. There was no way she could talk to him without knowing her own mind first. She only wished she hadn't run into Hotch in the process of sneaking out of the older man's room. She groaned out loud at the memory.

* * *

><p>%8%<p>

* * *

><p><em>JJ quickly tiptoed to the door, turning the knob slowly. She just had to get out of there. She needed to think and bad. She cringed when the door squeaked open. She looked to the bed she'd just been in; sleeping with a man who wasn't the father of her child, but found that Dave had not moved a muscle. <em>

_As quick and quietly as she could she closed the door behind her. She let out a sigh of relief that her night time lover had not woken to her attempts at escape. Underwear in hand she turned to start back for her room._

"_JJ?"_

_She literally jumped in the air at the sound of her name being said in an incredulous tone. She looked behind her to see that Hotch had stopped at his door a few doors down. He was looking at her in disbelief and something else, she wasn't sure what. All she knew was that he sure looked a lot more sober than he did before._

"_JJ?" he said again, voice louder, angrier._

_She hurried to Hotch's side, afraid that his voice would wake Rossi in the process._

"_Hotch," she said, tone desperate. "This isn't what it looks like."_

_She watched him take in her mussed appearance and then the bra and panties she held in her hand and knew that there was no way around it, she was caught. _

_He frowned at her. "Inside," he said simply._

_She nodded and followed her boss and friend into his room. The room was dark, only a little light coming in from an un-curtained window. He shut the door behind them. Before even turning on the lights he rounded on her._

"_JJ, what the hell?"_

_JJ looked from side to side, anywhere but the disappointed look on Hotch's face. "I… I know, I know," she started out, voice panicked. "I'm not sure what I was thinking… I know fraternization is against Bureau rules… I know… I just… It happened—"_

_Hotch took a step towards her, putting his hands on her shoulders in a surprisingly comforting gesture. "JJ," he said gently._

_She looked up into his face to see that his frown was gone, replaced by concern._

"_Forget the rules. I asked you to be careful with Rossi… not sleep with him."_

_Her mouth dropped open. She suddenly realized that Hotch was concerned for her. Concerned that maybe Rossi had—_

"_I know, I'm all right, Hotch." She put a hand over top his, squeezing it to reassure him._

_He let out a sigh, stepping away from her._

"_So, I was right?" he stated more than asked._

_She nodded. "You were right. Dave… has feelings for me."_

_Just saying it sent a tingle through her body._

"_And how do you feel?" Hotch asked bluntly. "And what about Will?"_

"_I don't know," she answered honestly._

"_And Henry? The BAU?" he continued to question._

"_I don't know, Hotch," she stated angrily. She hadn't had time to think about anything._

"_You need to know, JJ, and fast," Hotch told her outright. "These are questions you needed the answers for before you slept with him. This was why I warned you, JJ."_

"_All you said was to be careful," she shot back._

"_Yeah, because a relationship with Rossi could be a whole lot more than you bargained for," Hotch said angrily. "JJ, did you honestly think any of this through?"_

_She opened her mouth to tell him that yes, she had. But that was a lie. She'd heard Rossi admit his feelings for her and she'd jumped him._

_She dropped her head and shook it. She heard Hotch let out another sigh._

"_Down in the bar and right now I'm talking to you as your friend, JJ, not your boss. And as your friend my advice to you is to think all of this over before letting anything else happen between you and Dave, all right?"_

_He was right. "Ok," she answered._

_She turned to leave the room, but paused mid-step, she had to ask, "What about as my boss?"_

"_As your boss, for now," he said, "I didn't see anything…"_

_JJ gave the man a small smile before exiting._

* * *

><p>%8%<p>

* * *

><p>That encounter had had the potential to not only ruin her life but Rossi's. She was extremely lucky that Hotch wasn't just her boss, but a good friend, too.<p>

But he was right, too. Since she left the room last night she'd done a lot of thinking and so far she didn't have any answers.

_Did she leave Will? Pursue a relationship with a co-worker? Or did she just forget what happened and allow life to go on like usual?_

One thing she was sure of, she definitely needed more time to think. Time she didn't think she had.

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this chapter. Hopefully, I'll have an update soon. Plans for next chapter: An awkward plane ride encounter between JJ and Rossi. A confrontation between Rossi and Hotch. A guilty feeling JJ speaks with Will.<p>

Thanks to all who have been sticking with this story. And thanks to everyone who's been reviewing: **CriminallyCecy; Longbourn22; HansonFanGermany; scadki; SunnyInOregon; p95000; Angels-heart1; and celticgina.**

See you all soonish. :)


	10. Evasion

**A/N**: Hey all! Here's the next chapter! I hope you'll let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 10: Evasion:**

* * *

><p>Dave watched the aisle, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the woman he couldn't get out of his mind. After waking up that morning and finding no JJ, he'd conceded to giving her some space. He knew she had some thinking to do and he didn't want to complicate things further for her. So, he'd gotten dressed and headed to the lobby where they were all to meet before heading out for the airstrip.<p>

He'd hoped to catch a glimpse of her, gauge her emotional state, but she had been nowhere in sight. And neither was Hotch. When he'd inquired as to their whereabouts, Morgan simply said that they were meeting them on the plane. And that's where he sat now, waiting patiently.

Morgan sat across from him, and Emily and Reid sat together a few seats over; all were occupied in their own worlds, only he seemed to notice the conspicuous absence of their Unit Chief and former Media Liaison.

_Where are they?_ he thought, frustrated.

As if in answer, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and seconds later Hotch was maneuvering his way up the aisle. Without words, he took the seat next to Morgan, diagonally across from him. Dave gave him a quizzical look, wanting to know where they had been. Hotch's answer was a stern glare.

_Oh shit,_ Rossi swore, mentally. _He knows._

Dave didn't know what to think about this. It had seemed at one point that Hotch had almost encouraged him to pursue the younger blonde, but the glare, now, said otherwise.

There was no time to lament the current situation with his friend, because it was now JJ coming down the aisle. He tried to catch her eye but she avoided him, taking a seat in a near unoccupied section of the plane.

He had to talk to her, he realized. He began to get up.

"We're about to take off, _Dave_," Hotch said, not so subtlety voicing his contempt.

His tone was odd enough to catch the attention of Morgan. The younger man looked form him to Hotch and back again. But he was smart enough not to say anything.

"This will only take a moment, _Aaron_," he replied pointedly.

He made his way down the aisle, aware of Hotch's glare at his back. He didn't care; he'd deal with him later. He approached JJ tentatively; she'd taken a case file out and had immersed herself into it. He realized that it was an avoidance tactic when he sat down across from her and she still did not acknowledge him.

Dave waited a moment more, still nothing. He let out a sigh, leaning across the space he covered what she was looking at with his hands.

"Dave," she warned.

"She speaks!" he attempted to joke.

She let out a sigh of her own. "Not here, Dave, please…"

She finally looked up and he met her blue eyed gaze head on. He could see the tide of emotions there. "Ok," he nodded. "Where?"

"I… I don't know, yet," she said, voice too unsure for comfort.

"Dave," Hotch called out, voice too much of a command for Rossi's liking.

He let out another sigh. "Ok, later," he backed off, knowing that that's what Hotch's 'Dave' was about and that he was probably right.

He stood up, leaving JJ to her thoughts and rejoined the two men. Hotch continued to glare daggers at him, while Morgan eyed them both curiously.

"Seriously," Morgan started, gesturing at the two of them with a closed file, "What is up with you two?"

* * *

><p>JJ knew she was being watched, and not only by one set of eyes, but several. The ones that mattered though were the ones that knew what was up. Seeing Dave now was as confusing as hell. She'd hoped to avoid seeing him, at least until she figured things out. That's why she was grateful when just after her shower this morning, Hotch had shown up.<p>

* * *

><p>~%%%~<p>

* * *

><p><em>JJ was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She quickly went to the door, having no intention of answering it, but she needed to know if it was <em>him_._

_With a palpable sense of relief, she swung open the door without thinking._

"_Hotch!" she exclaimed, surprised by his early morning visit._

"_JJ—" he began, but stopped abruptly. She watched his eyes take her in, up and then down, and if she wasn't mistaken, he blushed._

_It took her a moment to realize that she was still clad only in a towel. _

Oh man, am I really trying to make it my life mission to be inappropriate with all my superiors?

_She blushed profusely. "Oh man, sorry Hotch." She began to move inside, looking for her robe. She found it on her bed and quickly slipped it on._

"_It's uh… all right," Hotch replied, shutting the door behind him._

_JJ turned around, looking at him expectantly, knowing he was there for a reason. When he didn't say anything she gave him a small smile. "Hotch, what's up?"_

"_Oh, I was—"_

"—_checking up on me?" she finished for him._

_He shrugged his shoulders. "I left you last night with a lot to think about. I wanted to make sure you were all right."_

_She let out a sigh, dropping down onto the bed. "I still don't have any answers…"_

"_I see," Hotch commented, coming to sit next to her. "Do you have feelings for him?"_

_JJ put her hands up in an 'I don't know' gesture. "I'm attracted to him…"_

_She wondered if that was the same thing._

"_JJ?" Hotch said her name as if she'd been quiet for a bit._

"_Hotch," she said urgently. "I don't think I can face him, at least not yet. I know this isn't fair to him, but I just can't, not until I know what I'm going to do…"_

_Her friend nodded, understanding._

* * *

><p>~%%%~<p>

* * *

><p>Hotch had arranged for them to be 'held back' while everyone went on to the airstrip, thereby minimizing any time with Rossi. Even now, he was all but ordering Dave to stay away. She was grateful for Hotch's help. But at the same time, she felt horrible for the way she was treating Dave.<p>

After all, he hadn't been the one to come to her; she'd gone to him and demanded he tell her his feelings. She could feel his eyes on her. She wanted to talk to him, she did. But she needed to make sure she could answer any questions he would have. For that she had to answer her own questions first.

JJ couldn't' help it; she looked up to meet his eyes. They stared at her, feelings guarded. She wondered what he was thinking. Did he still care for her? Or did he suddenly realize that caring for her was a huge mistake?

* * *

><p>Rossi eagerly stood up when the pilot announced that it was safe to do so. He'd given JJ the entire plane ride home to herself, not even once approaching her after his initial attempt. He hoped she'd be ready to talk now.<p>

She was still sitting, gathering her things, when he took the seat across from her.

He held up his hands when she seemed about ready to protest. She stopped and waited.

"I know right now isn't the time, so," he conjectured, "name a time and place and I'll be there."

She looked at him, considering for a moment. "Coffee, tomorrow?"

He nodded quickly. She then named a shop and a ten am meeting time. She stood up then, looking around her, everyone seemed to be occupied.

"Dave," she started, voice low. "I don't regret it… I just need to think about some things…"

Rossi nodded in understanding, appreciating her parting words.

He started to get up to leave himself, when he was suddenly halted by a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Wait."

Dave turned around to see Hotch standing there, still the same severe look on his face. He didn't say more until everyone else had gone ahead of them, off the plane.

"Sit," Hotch demanded.

"I'm not a dog," Dave replied tersely, having had about enough of Hotch's displeasure.

Hotch didn't reply, only taking a seat and waiting for Rossi to do the same.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hotch said angrily the second Rossi touched down.

"Straight to the point, I see," Dave replied. "I don't think this is any of your business."

Dave didn't really believe that; Hotch was their Unit Chief, and he and JJ were two of his colleagues. This was Hotch's business in that what he and JJ had done was against the rules. But, he didn't think Hotch was worried about the Bureau side of things.

"It is," Hotch replied adamantly. "JJ is my employee, she's my friend. And you should know, more than anyone, how off-limits she really is."

"You said it yourself, Aaron, I don't let the rules stop me," Dave shot back.

"Come on, Dave, this is serious," Hotch replied. "Have you seen how confused she is? She has no idea what to do, and that's all thanks to you! She's barely had time to think through her relationship with Will, and now she has to think about the two of you."

"Wait a second, we both know she isn't happy with Will," Rossi said, quickly. "What's wrong with letting her know that I'm here for her if she needs me?"

"That's fine, but you didn't tell her that, you slept with her!"

"I know that that was probably too soon," Rossi agreed calmly. "But, what two consenting adults do is none of your business. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Hotch asked suspiciously.

Rossi shrugged his shoulders, he was angry enough to say something he shouldn't. "Unless you've got feelings for her, too."

Hotch's jaw dropped. Rossi gauged his reaction. He seemed shocked at what he proposed, but he didn't deny it. At least, not right away. And that hesitation, had _him_ suspicious.

"JJ is my good friend," Hotch said shortly. "_That's_ all."

"Fine," Rossi allowed.

They sat there in silence; both of them letting the anger in their system die out.

"So," Dave began after a bit. "Are you going to report us? I'm not backing off, unless JJ tells me to."

Hotch eyed him carefully. "I won't," Hotch finally said. "But if she says go, then you better back off."

Dave nodded his head once. He would do whatever JJ asked of him.

* * *

><p>That's it for this one. I hope you enjoyed the RossiJJ/Hotch tension. I couldn't resist throwing Hotch into the mix. But, don't worry, this will definitely stay a JJ/Rossi story.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: **HansonFanGermany** _(I love writing JJ/Hotch conversations)_; **Longbourn22; anitarose** _(thanks so much for the huge compliment, it's not even close to what she writes, but I appreciate it)_; **ilovetvalot; Julieta; p95000; Angels-heart1; Shannon Jethro Gibbs Snape; CriminallyCecy; and SinBin19.**

Don't have the next chapter written out yet. But I imagine it will have a JJ/Will scene followed by the JJ/Rossi conversations. Hope to have it up soon.


	11. Guilt

**A/N:** Hey all! I thought I'd give this one an update while I'm on spring break. So here you go, a somewhat longish chapter. I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 11: Guilt:**

* * *

><p>JJ got out of her SUV, shutting the driver's door behind her. She didn't move though, she just stood there staring up at the home she shared with Will and her son. They had moved into the two-story house about a year after Henry had been born. For three years they'd been a family. She, Will, and Henry had many good memories in that house.<p>

_When did it turn so tense?_ she asked herself. _And when did sleeping with another man become the easy thing to do? _

Never in her life had she imagined that she'd be capable of cheating on her spouse. In fact, she'd always abhorred the idea of it. Looked down on people who did act on those forbidden feelings. And now she'd labeled herself hypocrite.

She ran a nervous hand through her hair. She knew she had to go inside. There was no way around it. But Will wanted to talk and she knew one particular subject they'd be covering would be Rossi.

_Oh God, Dave…_ She groaned out loud. JJ knew she was being incredibly unfair to the man. She just hoped she'd have answers for him by the time she saw him tomorrow.

The fact that Will would want to talk about the older agent combined with the fact that she'd slept with him plus Will's increasing anger at her for being away had her still standing outside. This was not a confrontation she wanted to be having. She felt like a coward, but she was truly afraid of what was about to unfold.

"Come on, JJ," she murmured to herself. "You can do this…"

She gulped down a deep breath, as one foot was put in front of the other and she was suddenly walking up her walk-way. Soon she was at her front door, turning her key, pushing open the door.

JJ stepped inside the too silent house. Where were Will and Henry? She'd called home on the plane to let them know she'd be home. They knew she'd be here. And it was Sunday. Will didn't work Sunday's; meaning Henry didn't have daycare either.

"Hello?" she called out. "Will? Henry?"

She threw her keys on the side-table and walked past the stairs that led to the second floor, into the kitchen. She reasoned that maybe they'd left a message for her in the kitchen on the whiteboard they kept there just for that purpose. But the thing was stark white. JJ pulled her phone out of her pocket. No messages there, either.

With each passing moment she got more and more anxious. _Where are they?_ her brain insisted.

She tried Will's cell phone. It clicked to life after a few rings. "Hello—"

"Will," she breathed out quickly. "Where—"

But she was cut off. "—You've reached Will LaMontagne. I'm not available at the moment so leave a message after the beep."

Dejected, JJ quickly said, "Will, where are you? Call me, all right. I'm home."

She hung up, putting the phone down on the island's counter. He knew she'd be home. So why wasn't he here? This made no sense. Unless… unless Will knew.

_Oh my God,_ her brain exclaimed. _Will knows. Will knows I slept with Dave… He's run away; he's taken Henry and left me… What am I—No, this can't be possible._

She shook her head trying to bring herself out of her sudden pessimistic thoughts.

"No," she said out loud.

But her traitorous brain replied with, 'Then where are they?'

_Oh God, Henry, I can't live without my son, I can't,_ she frantically thought. JJ put her face into her hands and began to sob. _What am I going to do?_

So lost in her melancholy, she didn't hear the kitchen door open that led to the back way.

"JJ?" a voice said in surprise.

"Mommy?"

_Henry!_

"Daddy, why's mommy crying?" Henry said, suddenly sounding like he was going to cry, too.

"Henry, please go wash your hands," Will told the little boy.

JJ looked up to see the blurry image of her little boy walking out of the kitchen. _Oh God, he's here!_

Will's hands landed on her shoulders and he looked at her in concern. "JJ what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head quickly. He hadn't left her. He didn't know yet. The tears still flowed.

"JJ, you're scaring me… Talk to me," Will urged.

"I… I," she had to pause to gulp down a calming breath. "When I got home… you weren't here…"

"I took Henry to buy breakfast," Will explained, gesturing to a few paper bags from _Sam's._ It was her favorite waffle house. "You beat us home, JJ."

They sat there in silence while JJ took in some more deep breaths. Her cheeks were hot with embarrassment and… guilt.

"I thought… I thought…" she stuttered out.

"What did you think?" Will asked, looking at her worriedly.

She shook her head. She couldn't voice what she'd thought. Not yet. She needed a clear head.

Will nodded his head, sensing that this was part of a bigger conversation they needed to have which wasn't appropriate for the moment.

"All right, why don't you get cleaned up," he said, gesturing to her face. "I'll go talk to Henry…"

She threw him a panicked look and he gave her a 'don't worry' one in return. "I'll say you stubbed your toe."

JJ nodded her thanks and he left the room. Her face dropped back into her hands. If Will didn't suspect before he sure did now…

* * *

><p>"So what are you going to do?"<p>

JJ looked over at Hotch. He sure was fond of asking her questions she had no answers to. She shrugged her shoulders in answer and he let out a sigh. He turned his attention back to the movie that was playing on the screen in front of them.

After breakfast she'd asked Will for some time. She'd told him she needed some air to calm her. So she suggested a drive with Henry. That drive had unexpectedly led her to Hotch's house, not too far away. He'd welcomed her into his home with one concerned look, put on Cars 2 for the boys to watch and now they were sitting on the couch having a whispered, stilted conversation about her troubles.

"JJ," Hotch finally said. "Kitchen."

They let the boys know they were going to have coffee in the kitchen if they needed anything. Once there, Hotch began opening and closing cupboards, getting the coffee ready.

"JJ, do you still love Will?" Hotch asked her outright.

"I… I don't know…" she stammered.

It was hard. All they ever did was fight. She knew there was a time she loved him easily. And when she thought of those times they warmed her. But lately… she knew she was hard pressed to feel that way. But did that mean she did not love him anymore? She was still working that out.

"Because the reaction you had to coming home to an empty home tells me you still do," Hotch profiled.

She'd told him what happened when she'd arrived to find no one there. That she'd broken down thinking he'd left her.

"I… I thought he'd found out," JJ informed, something she hadn't said previously, "I thought he'd found out and had taken Henry and left me… Oh God, Hotch, that could still happen…"

Hotch, seeing she was on the verge of more tears, abandoned the coffee and came around the island to take her hands in his.

"Hey," he said, giving them a squeeze, urging her to look up at him. He gave her a small smile. "I won't _ever_ let that happen."

Her cheeks warmed at his intensity. She was so glad he was in her life. Hotch was a good friend. She really appreciated him taking the time to talk to her without judgment.

"Thank you, Hotch," she returned affectionately.

He let go of her, stepping back. "I mean it, JJ. You've got all of us on your side. We know you're a wonderful mother. If it ever comes to that… well, you know…"

She nodded. He turned back to the coffee machine.

"So, is it safe to say you don't feel the same about Will as when Henry was born?" he encouraged. She nodded. "And that your feelings for Dave are growing?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Ever since I left the BAU it's like he's been there for me, you know. Rooting for me. Wanting me to succeed. I just… I guess my admiration for him… changed along the way."

He nodded. "But, JJ, there's a difference between appreciating that he's there for you… and wanting to sleep with him…"

JJ flushed. She knew Hotch just wanted her to look at this from all sides, but it didn't change the fact that they were discussing her sex life with his best friend. _Talk about awkward…_

"I honestly don't know how that happened…" she mused, taking the coffee cup Hotch handed her. She brought it to her lips, pausing there, "One minute I was telling him to tell me his feelings and the next…"

She shivered at the memory.

"Spare me the details, please," Hotch said wryly.

She chuckled into her coffee. "I feel something for him, Hotch…"

JJ stared off in wonder at her admission. It was true. When she was around Dave he made her smile, he made her laugh, he made her feel special without making her feel like she needed to depend on him or anyone. He respected her independence. He respected her…

"I can see that," Hotch added bringing her out of her thoughts.

His tone surprised her, a little sadness mixed in with resignation. She tried to catch his eye to find out what was up, but he turned back to his cupboards, hiding his face.

"Maybe it's time for a change, JJ," Hotch spoke up, his voice back to normal. He turned back around, bringing with him a package of Oreos.

She wrinkled her nose. "A change?"

"Yeah. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but it's no secret how things have been going with Will. That, combined with you're not sure you even love him anymore plus your feelings for Dave, well," he paused, "Doesn't one plus one still make two?"

"A change?" she said again, more tentatively, getting what he was saying. "This wouldn't be like switching detergent brands…"

Hotch chuckled at that. "No, this is a slightly bigger deal than that. But, you aren't happy with Will. And it's pretty obvious that you are with Dave…"

"Hmm…" she considered.

Everything Hotch said made sense to her. And it seemed to fit. She felt like she was beginning to get a clue. She glanced up at to see Hotch smiling at her. "What?" she asked, laughing.

"You just," he started. "You look like you know what to do now. I'm happy for you…"

Did she? Did she know what to do? She reached inside herself and couldn't find that heavy, dreadful feeling anymore.

"Thank you, Aaron," she said warmly.

"For what?" he asked perplexed.

"For everything," she said simply.

She had the satisfaction of seeing him blush.

* * *

><p>Rossi walked up the front steps to Hotch's home. He looked behind him again, sure that that was JJ's SUV parked in his driveway. He wondered quickly at what she could be doing at their Unit Chief's house close to lunch time.<p>

He was there to watch the basketball game with him and Jack. He thought they were still on, despite their conversation on the plane, earlier. Hotch hadn't invited JJ, too, had he? No, Hotch seemed intent on keeping them apart. He definitely did not seem keen on a JJ/Rossi romance. So, why was she here?

_Maybe… Hotch is acting on those feelings he has,_ his traitorous mind thought.

"No way," he said out loud. _Hotch would not do that to me. Still…_

The door opened suddenly without him having to knock. He took a step back taking in the scene before him.

"Thanks again, Aaron," JJ said to a practically beaming Hotch.

_Why does he look so happy? _Dave thought suspiciously.

She leaned in and pressed her lips to Hotch's cheek. "You have no idea how much you helped today."

"Anytime JJ, I'm here for you," Hotch replied with obvious affection. "I'll see you later, Henry."

_Henry?_ Rossi looked down to see the little boy holding his mother's hand.

"By Hotch, bye Jack," Henry called out.

JJ smiled and then turned around, out the door. It was then that his presence was noticed.

"Dave…" JJ breathed out, her smile fading to be replaced with a look of surprise.

"Uncle Dave!" Henry exclaimed.

Rossi turned his attention to the boy, ruffling his hair. "Hey there, kiddo. You being good for you mom?"

Henry gave him a big nod. Smiling, he looked back at JJ. She was still looking at him with the same expression.

"JJ—" he tried.

"Dave," Hotch cut him off.

He looked past JJ to glare at his friend.

JJ reached her free hand out to touch his forearm. He looked back at her and she gave him a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok…" he replied, unsure of her change in demeanor. Before, she'd obviously felt trepidation at their coffee date. Now she seemed… looking forward to it?

She walked past him. He watched her all the way down the driveway until she waved goodbye.

"You're welcome," Hotch spoke from behind him.

He turned around to see his friend actually grinning at him. Rossi was suddenly sure that it was to Hotch he owed his thanks. And for that he felt guilt for his earlier thoughts.

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this one. I hope you enjoyed. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: **Longbourn22 **(_I'm glad you enjoyed that conversation; writing a tense Rossi/Hotch moment was a lot of fun to do. Don't worry this will stay JJ/Rossi, purely. As you said, JJ doesn't need any more troubles in this one);_ **CriminallyCecy** _(I'm glad you liked the bit of JJ/Rossi/Hotch in this chapter. I won't go further than that in this one, as it's most definitely JJ/Rossi. But who knows maybe in the future I'll write a triangle fic with those three);_ **anon** _(glad you enjoyed)_; **p95000; spk** _(the bit with Morgan's reaction was strangely my favorite part in the whole chapter; glad you liked);_ **SinBin19; Angels-heart1; and ilovetvalot** _(I'm glad you enjoyed. This chapter may have answered some of your questions. Hope they were satisfying. :) )._

On a side note, a lot of people seemed to enjoy the JJ/Rossi/Hotch tension. I won't be taking it a step further in this story. But, who knows, maybe I'll write one later on…

Thanks again for reading! I hope you'll let me know what you think!


	12. Choice

**A/N:** Hey all! Sorry for the wait. Life has been keeping me busy. Anyways… hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 12: Choice:**

* * *

><p>JJ let out an anxious sigh before shutting the door to her son's room. This was it. Time to face the music.<p>

She and Henry had returned home about two hours ago. Seeing Dave at Hotch's so briefly had somehow reassured her that she was about to make the right decision.

Will appeared in the hallway. "Hey," he said, arms crossed over his chest protectively. "Henry asleep?"

She nodded.

He tilted his head towards the stairs. Wordlessly, she followed him down. He led a path through the living room, past the kitchen. When he kept going she threw his back a quizzical look. Finally, Will stopped in their laundry room.

"Will—" she started, but he turned around to turn on the dryer, cutting her off momentarily.

"There's no need for Henry to hear this," Will chided.

_Good point,_ she agreed grudgingly. Having her baby walk in on her breaking down this morning had been too much. She so did not want a repeat of that.

"So…" she began slowly. "You know what _this_ is?"

He nodded. "I'm no fool, JJ; we've been heading this way for a while now. Question is where do we go from here?"

JJ leaned back against the washer. She was a bit stunned; she had expected an argument, resistance, or at least the demand for an explanation.

"Don't you… don't you want to know the reasons?" JJ sputtered out.

Will shrugged his shoulders. She was beginning to feel irritation at his nonchalance of their current situation. _Did he not care at all?_

"All I need to know is if you still love me," he stated tiredly. "And I think the past couple of weeks have given me my answer."

She stared at him sadly, guiltily, trying to read him. Where was the Will she'd fought with practically every day for the past month?

"Will I—on the case—" she attempted to confess.

"Don't," he said abruptly, putting his hand up for her to stop.

"What?" she replied, at a loss.

"You're about to explain to me why Henry and I found you crying this morning. I don't want to know."

Her mouth opened and closed several times trying to formulate some kind of response to the unusual reaction from her soon-to-be ex-spouse. "Damn it, Will!" she burst out, her irritation winning over. "Is that all you have to say to me. That you're done? We've been together for five years. Five years!"

He frowned at her. "What do you want me to do, JJ, fight for you? I tried. It didn't work." His voice was rising now. "What do you want me to say? That I still love you? Because I do. I love you so much, and it kills me that you don't feel the same anymore. And I'm just… sad. All right? I'm sad and I'm done and I don't want to make this last any longer than it has to."

He stopped to take a deep breath. Expelling it, the anger went out of him too. All that was left on his face was the hurt she'd caused him.

But… he'd hurt her too.

"I'm sorry, Will. I never thought we'd get to this point. We had some good times together," she said gently. "But, I'm sorry, they weren't enough. I could not be the woman you want me to be. And that means you're not the man for me."

He nodded curtly. "I see," he paused and then said, voice hoarse. "I've already started looking for a new place. I should be out of here soon. I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."

JJ stared at him blankly. Her life was changing at the speed of light. It was hard to process.

"I'll get a lawyer tomorrow," he added and turned to exit the room.

The word lawyer snapped her out of her daze. "Lawyer?" she echoed sharply.

He turned around to eye her carefully. "We've got to work out custody of Henry."

"Henry?" she squeaked out, heart racing.

"I assume you want him to live with you," he said slowly. "I don't want to take him away, JJ, but I just want to make sure that no matter what I get to see my son."

She hadn't known she'd been holding her breath until the gust of wind whooshed out of her mouth. "O—Oh…" she stuttered.

"Get some sleep, JJ; we'll talk some more tomorrow."

JJ nodded dumbly as she watched his retreating back. She hoped he meant it. She really hoped she would not have to fight him for custody.

Tense, she decided for tonight, she'd take his word on it. But tomorrow, she too, would be finding a lawyer.

* * *

><p>Dave sat at a booth in the little coffee shop JJ had named two days ago. He glanced at his watch, it was ten to ten. This was probably the first time ever in his life he'd been early to something. That was probably because nothing had ever felt as important to him as what could come from this meeting.<p>

He had no idea what to expect when JJ arrived. Yes, she'd been having troubles with Will. Yes, she'd slept with him. But in the end it could mean nothing and she could choose Will.

He was slightly encouraged by yesterday's brief encounter on Hotch's doorstep and by his friend's smug statement of 'you're welcome.' But that was yesterday and today was a new day. Anything could happen.

His mind was racing a mile a minute with all the possibilities of what could happen next. And he was not comforted in the least when most of those possibilities were not looking to be in his favor.

_Come on, Dave, keep it together, now,_ he chided himself. _First hear what she has to say and then start panicking._

As if on cue, he heard the chime of the door opening. He looked up to see JJ standing near the door, searching for him. When she caught sight of him the smile she gave him somewhat put him at ease. At least he knew that she wasn't there to chew him out.

She began her approach and for some reason he felt the urge to stand.

"JJ," he said in greeting when she was less than two feet away from him.

"Hi, Dave," she replied, still smiling. He gestured for her to sit down opposite to him, which she did. "I'm so glad you came."

He gave her a grimace, re-taking his seat. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"

She shrugged, giving him a pained look. "I haven't really been forthright with everything that's happened between us. Let's face it, I ran after our night together. And I initiated it. I haven't been fair to you, I'm sorry. That you're here tells me you've got the patience of a saint."

He stared at her incredulously. Was she kidding him? "JJ, I'm the one that's glad that you're giving me the time of day…" he let her know. "I've gone about this all wrong. I've come on strong and I had no right. My only excuse is the way I feel about you, JJ. I… care about you, deeply."

He left it at that, not using the 'L' word for fear of coming on even stronger. But he certainly believed that he was falling for her.

She didn't say anything for a moment. And then, a warm smile spread across her face. She reached over the table and put her hands over his, squeezing lightly. Tingles shot through his body. The gesture was a very good sign.

"Dave, I…" she began slowly. "I care about you, too. I… our timing hasn't been the greatest. But… I need you to know that things between Will and I are over."

A look of wonder spread over his features. _Did she just say what I think she said?_ he thought in a daze.

"And if," she continued, voice hesitant, "you want to umm… go out with me… you know umm… try the relationship thing… I would be uh up for it."

She sounded so nervous and anxious and he suddenly realized it was because he hadn't said anything yet to her claim that she had feelings for him.

"JJ," he began quickly; he turned her hands in his, linking their fingers. "I want that. I want to be with you."

He watched her exhale the breath she'd been holding. "Really?"

"JJ, sweetheart," he said intently, holding her gaze. "There is nothing more in this world that I want than to be with you."

She smiled shyly at him. He enjoyed how her pale cheeks glowed with the color of her happy blush. She wanted this. She wanted him. He couldn't have asked for a better gift.

Still watching her carefully, he watched as she pulled her hands out of his, stood up and made her way over to his side of the booth. Dave quickly scooted over, making room for the petite blonde.

The shy smile still on her face, she breathed out, "Hi," as he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his body.

"This all right?" He didn't want to push her too far, too fast.

"Mm hmm," she murmured.

The waitress came and took JJ's order; they sat in companionable silence until JJ's coffee was put in front of her.

"So, what's our next step?" he broke the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, do you want to start slow, or jump right into being a couple?" he wondered out loud. "I'm assuming Will's not out of the house yet and I'm pretty sure I'm not his favorite person in the world right now."

She let out a sigh. "He doesn't know what happened between us. I tried to tell him, but he didn't want to know. And you're right he's still living in the house—in the guest room, though. He's looking for a place."

Dave nodded. He didn't begrudge the man a few more nights at home. After all, all this happened so fast. But the sooner he was out the sooner, he was sure, he and JJ could get on with their lives. He knew Will would never truly be gone, because of Henry, but he hoped that one day he and the younger man could move back to civility. A lofty goal for sure, as JJ was currently in his arms, not Will's.

"So why don't we take things slow right now?" he put out there. She was his now, he could afford the slow pace. "Say, dinner at my house tomorrow night?"

"Yes," she answered quickly and then surprised him by placing a gentle peck on his cheek.

The JJ who sat next to him right now wasn't the one who'd boldly come to his hotel room the other night. But he knew this was the real JJ, calm, reserved, but loving. And he'd take her wholeheartedly.

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this one. For some reason it's not my favorite chapter in the world, but, well it's all I got. Hope you enjoyed it. Haven't decided if this one is close to being done or if I'll extend it a bit longer. I'll let you all know either way.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed: **HansonFanGermany; Erin; Graveygraves; p95000; Longbourn22; ilovetvalot; CriminallyCecy; and Angels-heart1.**

I'll try to update soon!


	13. First Date

**A/N:** Hey all! So sorry for the super long wait. I've been having major writer's block lately. It's gone for now so hopefully an update will come sooner. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's not up to my usual standards, but I really felt like updating. So, I hope you'll forgive any mistakes or awkwardness. And I also hope that you'll let me know what you think. Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 13: First Date:**

* * *

><p>"Thanks, Pen," JJ said, genuinely, as she applied a layer of rose lip color to her lips. "I would have used my own place, but…"<p>

"I get it," Garcia replied knowingly. "Getting ready for your first date with the Italian-Stallion while the ex is in the next room could be a real downer."

JJ shot her friend a grateful smile. "I was going to ask Hotch, but he's having Beth over for dinner tonight, so—"

"JJ, seriously," her best friend cut her off. "It's no problem."

Warmth filled JJ's chest, replacing the anxiety she'd felt at requesting the use of Garcia's apartment. So far, the only people who'd known about her budding relationship with Rossi were herself, Rossi, Hotch and Will, barely. She hadn't known how, exactly, Garcia would react to the news that she'd broken things off with Will and was about to start things with Rossi. But, she should have known she'd understand.

Garcia let out a sigh as she came to stand directly behind her. Their eyes met in the mirror. "Peaches," she began tentatively. "You and Rossi… how'd that happen?"

So she hadn't provided all the details… JJ's cheeks flushed, thinking about the things that occurred between them already. "I… I don't know, really. Things have been happening… fast. All I know is that I was unhappy with Will and Dave was the one to make me happy again. And I guess… I just want to be happy all the time."

Garcia patted her shoulder. "I want that for you, too. So, if you're happy than I'm happy."

"I am," JJ said simply. And as she looked deep inside herself, she was amazed at how true the words really were.

Garcia suddenly frowned. "Ok, sweets, I just want to know one thing."

JJ matched her frown. "All… right…"

"Why the heck does Hotch know about you two before I ever found out?" she burst out.

She winced at her friend's question. "Well… he is Dave's best friend…"

The bubbly blonde, sensing JJ was withholding info, demanded, "Out with it, Jareau."

"He caught me sneaking out of Dave's hotel room," she confessed.

Garcia's mouth dropped open, her eyes practically bugging out. "Dave's… hotel room?"

_Oops,_ she cringed.

* * *

><p>Dave topped off his wine glass as he looked towards his pretty blonde companion, sitting all the way over in the living room. JJ was curled up at one end of his sofa, her legs tucked under her, head resting in her hand, elbow on the back of the couch. She raised her wineglass to her lips, pausing there, not taking a sip. Her lovely blue eyes took on a faraway look, suddenly contemplating something.<p>

He came around his kitchen island and joined her in the living room. Chuckling lightly, he asked, "You ok?" He took a seat next to her, turning his body so he was facing her.

"Hmm…" she answered absently. "Oh, I was just thinking…"

"How much for a penny?" he inquired.

She laughed. "I was just thinking… you really can cook…"

Her tone of awe told him she'd previously believed otherwise. He'd surprised her. Good, he suddenly decided that he liked surprising her. "You don't grow up in casa Rossi with Mamma Rosalina and not know how to cook."

"Your mother's name was Rosalina?" JJ asked with a pleased smile.

"I know, Rosalina Rossi," Dave commented dryly. "Not the most original Italian name…"

JJ smiled even brighter at that and he couldn't resist. His free hand reached across the distance, his fingers brushing through her soft blonde strands. She visibly shivered when his fingertips grazed her delicate cheek. "Tell me about her…" she murmured.

He raised one eyebrow at her. "My mother?"

"Mmm hmm," she answered. "I'd like to know about her, if you don't mind."

He dropped his hand into his lap, gaze following. What did he remember about the woman who'd raised him? It'd been awhile since he'd thought about her.

"Her favorite color was blue," he blurted out. He had a vivid image of his mother as a young woman, wearing a bright blue top. He looked up to meet JJ's eyes, realizing they were the exact same shade. He smiled going on. "Cooking was her passion… the look on her face when she… created something… it was like everything was right in the world…"

"Was?" JJ inquired gently.

He let out a sigh. "She's been gone awhile now, almost twenty years…" Seeing the look of surprise on her face he felt the need to add, "I'm not a young man, JJ…"

She frowned at him. "Well, you're certainly not over the hill either, Dave," she replied, a tinge of scolding in her voice. "I mean, you're an FBI agent, for goodness sake…"

He chuckled at her indignation. "All right, all right, I'm not old, I'm just… well aged," he finished.

"Well, now you sound like a piece of cheese," she replied, giggling.

Dave smiled widely at her, enjoying her laughter. "How exactly would you describe me, then?"

He was surprised when, instead of answering right away, she put her goblet down on the nearby coffee table first and scooted close to him. Their knees touching, JJ reached out a hand to cup his face. He felt her thumb rub back and forth right under his eye. The move was so gentle, so tender, and so JJ.

"You're kind," she began simply. "Helpful. Without being overbearing. You're sweet, too. You know just what to say when it needs to be said. And you always mean every word. You're… you're…" she trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. "You're Dave."

Looking into her eyes, he could see all the things she thought and felt about him but could not find the words to articulate. He felt a sense of warmth flood through him at her apparent high opinion of him.

He placed a hand over hers, caressing her fingers. Her hand dropped from his face, but that was ok, because the next thing he knew her lips were on his, kissing him sweetly.

His lips moved over hers, slowly, gently. He reached for her, his arms slipping around her tiny waist. He managed to get her onto his lap, her knees on either side of his hips. The kiss intensified then, his tongue urging her lips to open which she did so immediately. Their tongues twined, bodies flush together, there was not much to hide their desire for one another.

His hands moved along the planes of her back, down to slip under the hem of her top to palm the bare skin he found there. Her own hands were at his chest, fisted, holding on ever so tightly. He moved his lips along her jaw, down her neck, just drinking her in.

"Dave," she murmured; as his lips hit the delicate skin at her collar bone she gasped at the touch. "Dave…"

He lifted his head from her creamy skin to recapture her lips. He enjoyed her groan of approval. But as much as he wanted to continue he knew she was attempting to tell him something.

With a groan of his own, he wrenched his lips away from hers. Eyes closed as he panted for breath, their foreheads touching, he could hear her own labored breathing and it pleased him to know he had such an effect on her.

"I've got to go," she let him know, unmoving.

He opened his eyes to see she watching him; her eyes were almost black with desire. "I know…"

"It's just… it wouldn't look good if I didn't come home tonight," she reasoned unnecessarily. And he realized she was trying to rationalize it for herself.

Cupping her face, he needed to make sure she understood. "I understand, JJ. Henry comes first, rightfully so."

The look she gave him was so… loving that he beamed right back at her, just before she gave him another long kiss. And then she was getting off of him, letting out a sigh.

She glanced at him from up above and promised, "Soon."

* * *

><p>JJ braced herself before entering her home. She hadn't told Will exactly where she'd been going that night, feeling it best to not speak about her new relationship with Dave until her ties with Will were officially broken. But still, she'd left him earlier to go to Penelope's unhappy.<p>

Still standing there on her doorstep, she did not want to lose the good feeling flowing through her. Tonight couldn't have been more perfect. Dave was perfect. It just felt so right. And she couldn't remember ever feeling this way. She allowed herself a happy smile.

Letting out a sigh and resigning herself to going inside, she pushed open the door to her home. She just wouldn't let Will get to her if he was in that kind of mood.

The house was completely silent and for a brief moment she had high hopes that he was fast asleep, as she was sure Henry already was. But, as she tiptoed thought the quiet house, throwing her purse and jacket down along the way, she saw a light on in the kitchen. With one final wish that Will had just forgotten to shut the light off she walked the short distance to the room. Sadly, her wish didn't come true. Will was sitting there at the table looking like he'd been waiting for her.

"Hey," he greeted simply.

His innocuous tone surprised her. "Hi…" she replied tentatively.

She saw his eyes take in her outfit, a violet cocktail dress and once again braced herself for a torrent of emotion. "You look nice," he offered.

"Thanks," she answered. "You ok?"

She eyed him carefully. He'd clearly been displeased with her before she'd left, so she was wary of his change of demeanor.

He shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the beer bottle in front of him. "Want one?" he asked.

"S…sure," she stuttered out in surprise.

JJ took the seat across from him as he stood up to go to the fridge. She studied his back as he turned around. Not a tense bone in his body. Turing back around, she quickly schooled her face, but the smirk on his told her she'd been caught staring.

He popped the cap off and placed the bottle in front of her before retaking his seat. She took a quick sip, cringing slightly at the bitter flavor. Putting it down, she resumed watching him.

"Don't look at me like that, JJ," Will requested, chuckling.

"Like what?" She frowned.

"Like you think I'm going to go nuclear on you any second," he elaborated. "You know me…"

"I thought I did," she confessed, murmuring her answer.

He reached across the table, putting his hand over top of hers; he looked at her with tender eyes. "I'm still the same guy you met in New Orleans… I haven't changed."

As discreetly as possible, she pulled her hand from under his. "Will, where is this coming from?"

He shrugged once again, taking a sip from his own bottle. "I don't know… I've been sitting here, waiting for you to come back, remembering all the good times we had. We really loved each other."

She stood up abruptly. "Will, don't do this, all right."

"Why not?" He followed her. "We did. You loved me once. Why can't we go back to that?"

She faced him incredulously. Where was this coming from? She thought they'd broken things off already. She really didn't expect to be having this conversation over again.

"You might have not changed, Will," she paused to blow out a breath, "But I have. I'm not the same person you met five years ago."

He closed the distance between them, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I don't believe that."

He watched her with loving eyes, eyes that she did not deserve or want anymore. She was moving on, and he needed to too. She stared back at him, hard.

"I went out with Rossi tonight," she blurted out.

The second the words were out of her mouth she regretted saying them. The hurt look in his eyes was too much. He dropped his hands from her.

"Will," she tried to placate. "I'm sorry…" He turned away. "I… I didn't want to tell you this way… I'm… I'm moving on… You should too."

The look he shot her was withering before he turned on one foot and stomped out of the kitchen. A few moments later she heard the front door slam.

JJ let out a tired sigh. _So much for my blissful night…_

"Mommy!"

_Damn it, Will!_

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this one. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. I'm going to San Diego for the next week, so it won't be before then. But hopefully in the next couple of weeks.<p>

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. And I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading and everyone who has been reviewing: **GraveyGraves; p95000; CriminallyCecy; Angels-heart1; Shannon Jethro Gideon Snape; and ilovetvalot.**

See ya all soon. :)


	14. Miss Independent

**A/N:** Hey all! Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 14: Miss. Independent:**

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><p>JJ tried to contain her yawn but resistance, it seemed, was futile. She was tired. No, not just tired, exhausted. Drained. She poured herself another cup of coffee, her third since waking up three hours ago and hoped that by some miracle she'd be able to get through the day.<p>

"Hey," a familiar voice greeted her. She looked up to see Dave entering the break-room. She smiled through her tiredness as he approached her; his hand immediately went up to cradle her cheek as he kissed her thoroughly.

They'd both agreed after their first date two weeks ago that they weren't going to hide their relationship from anyone. She knew that he'd gone to Strauss and somehow—he being who he was—gotten her to wave or look over the fraternization rule when it came to them. So they were free to engage in brief moments of PDA every once in a while.

He pulled back, hand still against her cheek, she felt his thumb caress the skin under her eye while he stared at her concernedly. "You're still not getting any sleep, are you?"

JJ stepped away from him, letting out a sigh. She didn't really want to talk about this, her problems. Work, these days, was one of the few places she could get away from them for a bit, at least. Unfortunately, by some strange twist, they hadn't had a case in those two weeks. So, the distraction ended when she went home each night to those problems. Well, unless she went to Dave's place first. Those were good evenings, for sure.

"It's hard to get some sleep when your mind is always going a mile a minute," JJ replied vaguely, shrugging her shoulders.

She made for the door ready to immerse herself in her work, but he stepped in her way, halting her with his hands on her shoulders. "Hey," he said, leaning forward, urging her to meet his eyes. "Don't shut me out of this, ok? Talk to me. Tell me what I can do to help?"

JJ met his concerned, caring eyes, instantly feeling bad about freezing him out. When they'd decided to be a couple neither one of them had said that they were willing to share only the good things.

"I just… this is hard," she admitted. "Will wanting us to sell the house right away. I didn't think he'd demand his half so soon. I thought Henry and I would have some time to readjust from one major change. Now I've got to get him through another."

The reason for her exhaustion and anxiety was the fact that after Will had returned home two weeks ago, having stomped off after finding out she was dating Dave, he'd demanded the sale of their shared home. Shocked—she'd known it was something that had to be done eventually, of course—she'd pointed out the fact that the house was the only home Henry had ever known and he needed some semblance of normalcy for a little while. But Will had refused to acknowledge Henry's needs and she'd lashed out calling him petty. It hadn't been a good conversation.

Her nights since then were spent mostly packing boxes, getting ready for the sale, and their resultant move.

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No," she said quickly. He gave her a confused look and she added sheepishly, "You're not exactly his favorite person."

"Of course," Dave replied in realization. "Have you decided on where you're going to stay after the move?"

"Penelope's," she said simply. She was grateful to her best friend for the place to stay but didn't relish the cramped environment they'd be sharing for a little while. "Hotch offered his guest bedroom for as long as I needed, but I didn't think that would be appropriate."

She didn't expect the frown on her boyfriend's face that accompanied her words. "No, I certainly don't think it would be."

JJ frowned too. "I mean, Beth seems nice, but I know I wouldn't like some random woman staying with my boyfriend…"

He seemed to shake off his sudden dismay quickly. "You know," he began, a hint of mischief twinkling in his eye. "There's always my place. It's huge. More than enough room for the three of us…"

Surprised, she blurted out, "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," he answered, as if his request wasn't a prelude to a huge milestone in their still short relationship.

"But… but... we've only just begun dating," she countered automatically.

Dave shrugged his shoulders. "Does it matter? I l—"

She stared at him with wide eyes as he cut himself off abruptly. JJ couldn't help but wonder how he was going to finish that sentence. And it had her trembling.

Dave took a hasty step away from her. "Forget I said anything."

He turned his body away from her so she couldn't see or read his face. She searched for words to alleviate the sudden tension while he poured his own cup of coffee.

Letting out a sigh, she took a tentative step towards him, placing a hand on his back. "I don't want to forget it."

He echoed her sigh, turning back around to lean against the counter, cradling that cup of coffee. He didn't say anything.

"I just… I need to consider what's best for my son," she confessed. "I can't keep letting these changes happen so abruptly. I need to ease him into things." _I need to ease him into us,_ she left unsaid. "But it means a lot to me that you're willing to open your home to a single mother and her child. You're a good man."

He put his coffee down and reached for her, his hand tangling in her hair to rest at the nape of her neck. "Thanks," he said. Smirking, he added, "Though, I'll admit, my offer wasn't completely altruistic. It would be nice having you by my side day _and_ night."

He raised an eyebrow at her, wordlessly asking if she got his meaning. Chuckling lightly, she totally did. They hadn't been together since that night she'd gone to his hotel room. That was a _long_ time ago.

"I know," she assured. "I swear I'll make it up to you."

He urged her forward gently, capturing her lips with his own, in a slow, passionate kiss. "I'm going to hold you to that," he promised when they pulled apart.

She smiled happily as she went to grab her coffee.

"Ok, so what _can_ I do to help you out?" he still wanted to know.

Jokingly, she threw over her shoulder. "Can you magically make Will forget his share of the house until I can at least pull things together?" He didn't answer. "No, I didn't think so."

Without really taking a look at his face, she closed the distance between them, hooking their free arms together. "Enough doom and gloom," she dismissed. "Let's go solve some murders."

* * *

><p>Rossi sat at his desk working on some consults. His mind wasn't really on the task at hand, though. He kept replaying his earlier conversation with his girlfriend over and over again. He hated that she was in so much distress and still she didn't want to burden him with her troubles. He wanted to be there for her. And he'd found over the past two weeks that he'd had to constantly urge her to let him in. It was frustrating, but he knew it wasn't intentional. In fact, he believed she'd let him in more so than any other man in her life. But it was just her nature to be so independent. It was one of the qualities that had caused him to fall in love with her. Rossi respected her independence, but it didn't mean he'd back off when she so clearly needed a little help.<p>

A knock came at his door dragging him from his concerned thoughts. "Come in," he called out. He'd expected a visitor but not so soon. The door opened to reveal an uncomfortable looking technical analyst, Kevin Lynch.

"Sir," he greeted nervously.

"Come on in, Kevin," he said, waving the analyst inside. "Close the door behind you, will you?"

"I've got the information you requested," Kevin announced. He stepped forward, extending a hand with a manila envelope towards him. "It's all there, mortgage type, market value, inspections, everything."

Rossi took the envelope from him, smiling privately to himself. He pulled out the contents to give it a brief once over. Yep, this was what he'd wanted. "Good work, Kevin."

Silence followed until Kevin let out a hesitant, "Agent Rossi?" He looked up to see the man fidgeting nervously. What was it about him that made the analyst so jumpy all the time? "Um… may I ask why you came to me and not Penelope? I'm sure she'd have been glad to help you out…"

Dave shot the man a frown. "Garcia does fine work. But discretion is what I need today. Can I trust that this stays between you and me?"

"Yes… yes," he agreed, hurriedly and, it seemed, partly out of fright. "Of course, but why do you need the details to JJ's home?"

"I'm going to help her out, that's why," he assured.

That seemed to calm the young man down somewhat. He nodded his head and said, "Well, let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you, Kevin, you've been an immense help."

The man left his office, shutting the door behind him. Dave dove right into the package's contents. First he'd figure out what was at stake and then he'd arrange a meeting with Will.

Hopefully, he'd be able to get the man off of JJ's back, so that she could go back to the important things in life. JJ needed a break and he'd give it to her.

* * *

><p>JJ smiled happily as she stared off into the distance. Henry was running around the playground, being chased by a laughing Jack Hotchner. She was so glad she'd allowed Hotch to talk her into this weekend play-date. Seeing her son happy was well worth interrupting her busy schedule of packing and dealing with a put-out-ex.<p>

"So," Hotch began, nudging her shoulder with his. She glanced at him to see that he was giving her a rare smile. "How are things? You know, despite the having to move out thing?"

She smiled back at him. "Don't you mean: How is Rossi treating me?" she mused.

He shrugged his shoulders, not looking apologetic. "Hey, just looking out for you."

Chuckling, she nudged his shoulder back. "Thanks, I appreciate it," she said, heartfelt. "Things with Dave couldn't be better. He's so… so…"

"_Dave_," he answered for her.

"He's a great guy." She laughed, thinking on the times they'd shared together already. "I think he really cares about me."

Hotch shot her an amused look. "You say it like you're surprised that he would… You're a special person, JJ."

She looked up at him in surprise, catching and holding his eye. His guard down for once, she could see the truth behind his words. He truly believed she was something unique and that he… cared about her, too. That surprised her as well.

"I… I _am_ surprised," she confessed. "I'm not the easiest person to get along with…" He shot her a dubious look. "I'm not," she protested. "I can be stubborn and hard-headed. I like things done a certain way and I get annoyed when they're not."

"In other words," Hotch started, amusement lacing his voice. "You're human."

"Hotch," she chided.

He held up his hands to her in a so sue me gesture. "What, JJ, you just named almost everyone in the world. We all want things done our own way. But it's our ability to compromise that allows two human beings to coexist. Are you implying that you can't compromise?"

"I can compromise!" she shot back.

Chuckling, he added, "You forgot to add argumentative to the list."

She gave him a mock pout that dissolved into a bit of a grimace. "I'm overthinking this, aren't I?"

"Yep."

"You're _oh_ so helpful, you know that," she joked. Letting out a sigh, she concluded. "You're right. He gets me. That's all I need to understand, everything else will just fall into place after that."

Hotch reached out, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Exactly," he proclaimed. "He does get you… don't get me wrong, I'm sure he'll screw up somewhere along the way, but I hope you'll understand that when he does, it will probably be because he does care for you."

She grinned. "Can I pass on your winning vote of confidence?"

"Absolutely," Hotch agreed. "You can also let him know that I'll hurt him if he ever hurts you."

Touched, she replied, "Thank you, Aaron. You've been such a good friend to me… better than I deserve."

Again he shrugged his shoulders. "You can repay me, you know."

"How?" she asked suspiciously, enjoying the rare mischievous look on his face.

"Make Dave jump through hoops…" Hotch answered. "God knows that man has had a finger too many in my relationships… It's time for some pay back."

JJ laughed heartily at that. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. And I hope you'll let me know what you think.<p>

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to all those who have been reading and to everyone who has been reviewing: **HansonFanGermany; Angels-heart1; ilovetvalot; ncis4ever21; Guest; p95000; and Shannon Jethro Gideon Snape.**

See ya soon!


	15. A Good Thing?

**A/N:** Hey all! So sorry for the wait on this chapter, I've been caught up in my OC centered story and it's been some work. Anyways, I'm back with another chapter. Get ready for a little angst. Still, I hope you enjoy and will let me know what you think. Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 15: A Good Thing?**

* * *

><p>Rossi waited patiently in the conference room of the downtown precinct. He'd come to a decision about JJ's predicament pretty quick after seeing what he had to deal with concerning her home. Now, he just needed to speak to Will. Trouble was the guy was avoiding him like the plague.<p>

He'd spent a week trying to get a hold of the New Orleans native. But, understandably, Will didn't seem to want to talk to him. The man obviously saw him as the guy who stole his girlfriend away, even though, Rossi knew for a fact that Will hadn't helped his own cause along with his constant complaining.

The fact was Will was making it super difficult for Dave to accomplish what he wanted to get done. And this annoyed him all the more because he was on a sort of time limit. JJ had begun to transfer some of her things over to Garcia's house, something he'd hoped JJ would get to avoid, for now. So, because of this, he was forced to do what he had to do, and that included coming to Will's place of work.

The door to the conference room creaked open, pulling Dave out of his thoughts and into the present moment. He glanced up when a familiar voice muttered, "Son of a bitch."

Rossi put a wry grin on his face and answered, "Well, hello to you to, Will."

"What do you want?" Will demanded hostilely.

Ignoring his acerbic tone, he gestured for Will to sit down as he did so. There was no reason they couldn't be comfortable while they had this conversation. "Have a seat, Will," he said, as if this were his place of work and not the detectives.

Will remained put, arms crossing over his chest, remaining obstinate.

"Fine…" Rossi drew out that one word. "Don't sit…"

"Why are you here, Rossi?"

"Look, Will, despite… everything… I don't see you as a bad guy. I'd appreciate the same courtesy," he suggested, knowing the idea was unrealistic.

Will actually took a seat then, the farthest from him, yes, but he sat down as he answered, "Should I remind you of the fact that you stole my girlfriend? The mother of my child?"

Rossi frowned at that. He did not steal JJ away. The damage in her relationship with the man who sat across from him had been done long ago and without any help from him. He hated the insinuations that it was all his fault. It wasn't.

But, Rossi wasn't about to argue with what Will would surely see as just semantics. He wanted to propose what he wanted to propose and be done with him altogether.

"Ok… well, that's not what I came to talk about," Rossi prompted. Will waited for him to go on, not about to say any more than he had to. "I came to talk about your house—"

"I'm not stalling the sale," Will interrupted. "I don't know what JJ was thinking sending _you_ over here to convince me otherwise. It won't work."

Rossi rubbed at the bridge of his nose, this was seriously turning out to be a workout. He dropped his hand, holding it palm out. "She didn't send me to do anything. She actually doesn't know I'm here."

Will raised an eyebrow in his direction, a dry, amused look came to his face; somehow Rossi didn't think he was enjoying something he'd said. It was more like he was suddenly laughing at him. "You don't know JJ at all, do you?"

He frowned, wondering why this was taking longer than he'd expected. "I do," he replied, realizing he was coming dangerously close to arguing with the man.

"Fine," Will shrugged. "Shoot, what did you come here for?" The look he gave him was a little too 'It's your funeral' for his liking. But, he was glad that he could finally get down to business.

"So, the house," he went on, anyways. "I want to buy it. JJ tells me you're dealing with the sale, mainly."

"You want to buy my house?" the man asked slowly.

"Yes."

"And JJ doesn't know you're here… asking me this…" Will continued to droll on. Rossi didn't understand why the man fixated on that part.

"Listen," he ignored the question. "I would have had my agent go through yours instead of coming here. But I wanted to let you know first. I hope you won't do anything to block the deal."

Will surprised him with a quick shake of his head. "Nope. Go right ahead."

Rossi was damn good at reading people—he was a star profiler for goodness's sake—but Will's shifts in mood was playing with his mind. It was all 'I hate your guts; get the hell out' to 'sign here, please'.

"Ok…" Rossi said unsurely. "I'll be pushing for a quick sale, before the weekend's end…"

Will smiled almost pleasantly. "Fine by me. The money will be good to have for the both of us."

Rossi stood up, almost completely floored by his change of demeanor. Will followed suit, going to the door.

"Well, thanks for stopping by," the Louisiana-born detective said, like he'd been the one to invite Rossi to his place of work all along.

He nodded absently, trying to gauge what just happened. Will turned to the door opening it, but he paused to stand in the doorway.

"Can I ask what you plan on doing with the house?"

Rossi took in his curious—almost too curious—look. He didn't understand it. Nonetheless, he waved off the sense of unease and answered, "I want JJ and Henry to continue living there until they can find something better than Penelope's apartment…"

Will smiled brightly to himself. "Oh, that's great…"

"They're moving out because you couldn't wait to sell," Rossi felt the need to remind him.

The smile stayed in place. "Yeah, well, be sure to really surprise JJ with the news…"

Will left the room after that. And it wasn't Rossi's imagination; the man was chuckling all the way out.

* * *

><p>JJ fell to Dave's couch exhaustedly. She'd just come from Garcia's after having moved in quite a few more boxes into the tiny apartment. She and Garcia had concluded that not everything would fit and she'd have to take out a storage unit for sure until she could figure out her next move.<p>

But, for now, she didn't want to think about that. Instead of staying on the couch, she grabbed her glass, sipping at her wine, and moved to sit at Dave's island. He gave her a smile as he cut into some vegetables. Content, she returned the look, just enjoying watching him cook their dinner.

It was a Henry free night; Hotch had offered to take her son in for a movie/sleepover night with Jack. He knew what she was going through with the abrupt move. After all, he'd gone through it before when kicked out of the house he'd shared with Hailey. Still, it was a nice gesture and she couldn't help but wonder what she would do without him.

"You're lost in thought," Dave's voice cut in. "What are you thinking about?"

JJ had the sense to blush brightly, but she didn't admit that she'd just been thinking about another man, even though Hotch was just a friend. "Nothing… just the move… Penelope's place is so tiny…"

She watched Dave's hand stop stirring at the sauce he was cooking up. His face took on a considering look, as if he were debating something inside his head. She had no idea what it could be.

"Dave," she prompted. "That's going to burn…"

Snapped out of his thoughts, he jerked his head up to meet her gaze and she pointed a thumb at the pot he'd been stirring.

"Oh… uh… you're right," he said not so eloquently.

Abruptly, he turned his back on her; confused, she stared at him wondering what was going on.

"Hey?" she questioned. "Everything all right?"

He threw her a smile over his shoulder, a distracted one that did nothing to put her suddenly restless mind at ease. "Oh yeah, fine."

Still perplexed, he continued on cooking while she pondered what she'd just said to make him so nervous all of the sudden.

"Dave," she said his name again, not enjoying the sudden tension. He turned around to continue to give her that eerie smile. "Ok, that is not your 'oh yeah, fine' look. What's up?"

As if suddenly realizing that he was freaking her out he blew out in a rush, "Nothing. Well, something..." She frowned. He hurried to add, "It's nothing bad. There's just something I wanted to talk about after dinner…"

"Nothing bad?" she reiterated.

He smiled. This time it was more like his usual happy one. "I don't think so."

_Hmm…_ she wondered. She wasn't sure that sounded like a definite answer to her. However, she was willing to let it go for now.

"All right…"

* * *

><p>Sometime later, JJ took Dave's hand and led him back to the couch. Dinner was delicious. If he kept cooking for her like this she'd definitely be putting on the pounds; JJ had informed him of this and all he'd done was laugh.<p>

But that had been minutes ago, now she felt the tension in his neck as her fingers went to comb through the crisp strands there. Whatever he had to tell her was more than a small something. JJ, in turn, tensed up.

"So…" she began.

He let out a flustered sigh, reaching for her hand behind his neck; he brought her knuckles to his lips. "I have something for you."

"Ok…" JJ waited while he got off of the couch and walked to his desk nearby. He picked up a few sheets of paper and came back. Wordlessly, he handed them to her. "What's this?" she asked holding his gaze.

His dark eyes shined with excitement as he gestured for her to read. Rather than catch the feeling, she looked down at the papers with a sense of anxiety in the pit of her stomach.

JJ scanned the papers quickly trying to make sense of what she saw there. There was her house's address mixed in with Dave's name written, inexplicably, there too. She had no clue what one had to do with the other.

"I don't understand," she let him know.

Still beaming at her, he took the papers from her hands, setting them aside. Instead, he took hold of her suddenly cold hands. "I bought your house."

It was like ice water suddenly ran through her veins. The coldness in her hands travelled to the rest of her body. She pulled her hands from his rubbing them together for warmth. Her mouth dropped open to say something, but what she didn't know, so she promptly closed it.

"JJ?" Dave questioned, his expression now thoroughly confused.

She tried again. "Wh… Why?" she choked out.

He attempted to give her a smile again, but it faltered when she continued to frown confusedly. "I uh… I bought it to buy you some time. You said last week you'd hoped to have more time with the house…" he explained unsurely.

He seemed to be waiting for her to respond, to say anything. But what could she say; she was still in a complete, horror filled daze.

"This way you and Henry can stay on," he finished.

She glanced at him incredulously. "For how long?" she asked, voice still hoarse.

"For as long as you like," he said helpfully.

JJ stood up suddenly. "I see," she said coldly.

"JJ?" He laughed anxiously. "I don't understand. This is what you wanted. For you and Henry to live in the house he grew up in."

_Is this what I wanted? No._ She shook her head vehemently. "This isn't what I wanted," she said, surprised slightly by the amount of anger in her voice.

"You didn't want Henry to go on living in the home he knows?"

Looking at him, she could see that he was not following her one bit. That's good. Because she had no idea what he'd been thinking, doing this.

"Yes, I did," she answered. "But not like this…" JJ found her coat and bag that she'd tossed so carelessly upon arrival. "I think I should go…"

Dave stood up in a hurry, following her along. "JJ? Seriously?" he scoffed. She turned away from him, almost at the door, when he suddenly put his hands on her shoulders, gently forcing her to face him. "I'm confused. I was doing a good thing."

"No." She said abruptly, not liking the look on his face that came with her cutting word. "No, Dave, this is not a good thing. You went behind my back and bought my house! Who does that?"

"So, you and Henry can continue to live comfortably," he replied, his voice now rising in anger. "JJ, I don't see why you're so upset?"

"I'm not a charity case, Dave. I don't need help. I'm perfectly capable of handling things on my own," she tried to elaborate. "I just… I thought you knew me… I don't know if I can do this anymore…"

He stepped away from her, flinching visibly as if she'd just slapped him. "You want to end things because I wanted to help? I'm still not getting this… Am I being dense? You let Garcia and Aaron help you out all the time…"

"That's different," she said uncomfortably.

"How?" he practically hissed.

"They didn't buy me a house!" she shouted.

"Ok," he started, voice low in ire. "Let me get this straight. You're mad at me because I've offered you a place to stay, just like Garcia did and just like Aaron did, until you could find something more permanent."

She shook her head. He just wasn't getting it. Going to the door, she looked back at him sadly. "I'm mad because I thought you knew me and now I think… I think you don't…"

He gave her one desperate look before she departed the house.

* * *

><p>"What do you guys need?" Hotch called behind his shoulder as he proceeded to get up and go for the door.<p>

"More popcorn, dad!" Jack yelled back.

"Yeah, more popcorn, Hotch," Henry echoed.

He chuckled, enjoying his company tonight. It'd been a while since he'd had a night just to sit back and relax with his son. And Henry was always a welcome addition. They were watching Toy Story 3 for the first time and both boys were getting really into it. They wouldn't even pause for him to get the door.

His one thought before opening the door was, _this had better be good…_

"JJ?" he said in some surprise at seeing her on his doorstep. She wasn't supposed to be picking up Henry until the next day. And then he saw her face, she'd obviously been crying. "What's wrong?"

Hotch was super surprised when she suddenly threw herself into his arms.

_What the hell?_

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this one. I hope you enjoyed. I know, I know, angst already in their very young relationship? Lol. I have a plan, don't worry (and no, to my fellow Jotch readers, it is not to get them together, lol). I hope to update with more soon, so hang in there.<p>

Anyways, thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: **Graveygraves; HansonFanGermany; hot4booth; spyagent001** _(yeah, I'm usually a strict JJ/Hotch fan. This started as a CCOAC challenge piece, but it's turned into a full-fledged story now)_; **Angels-heart1; Ilovetvalot **_(hope you enjoyed);_** Starcrier; p95000; and ncis4ever21.**

Quick note from Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum (on fanfiction . net):

_**NOMINATIONS HAVE STARTED for the PROFILER'S CHOICE CRIMINAL MINDS FANFIC AWARDS! Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for our third annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards on fanfiction .net ! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on fanfiction . net , and let your voice be heard. Please check out the nomination ballot and rules at Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. All rules and information are on the forum.**_

See ya all soon!


	16. Misunderstanding

**A/N:** Hey all! Got some great news this past weekend, this story was nominated for Best JJ/Rossi fic in the 2012 Profiler's Choice Awards. I just wanted to take a second to thank those people who took the time to nominate this fic. It means a lot and I really appreciate it! Thank you! Final voting is taking place right now. All the categories and stories that have been nominated are up on Chit Chat on Author's Corner. I really hope you'll take a second to take a look at what other great fics have also been nominated.

Thanks again! It's an honor to be considered.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 16: Misunderstanding:**

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><p>"Here you go, boys," Hotch said, handing Jack a huge bucket of popcorn.<p>

He hoped it would keep Jack and Henry busy for the duration of the movie. Long enough, at least, to deal with Henry's clearly distraught mother.

When JJ had arrived at his doorstep, teary eyed, his one immediate thought was, 'What the hell did Dave do?' Somehow, he knew his best friend had caused this strong woman to break down. But how, he still needed to find out.

He'd ushered her into the kitchen after she'd let go of him with a sniffled out, "Sorry." He was sure she wouldn't want Henry to see her like that, so he'd sat her down at the table, placing a mug of hot cocoa in front of her. He gave her a shoulder a squeeze before heading to the living room with the boys' popcorn.

Now that he was sure they wouldn't be interrupted for a good bit, he headed back to his kitchen. He found her just as he'd left her, staring sullenly into the San Francisco mug.

She looked up quickly, startled by his appearance. He could see the hurt in her pretty blue eyes just before she attempted to cover it up with a smile. "Cocoa, Hotch? Never took you for a hot chocolate kind of guy."

He poured his own mug, before taking a seat directly adjacent to hers. "I made it for the boys, figured a good dose of chocolate would do you some good."

Her smile faded and she glanced back down into the mug. He hated this melancholy vibe he was getting off of her. JJ was usually so vibrant, so full of life, but lately she seemed nothing but exhausted. He knew the exhaustion was Will's doing. And what he wouldn't give to be able to give that guy a piece of his mind… but JJ had explicitly told him to let him be. Now, though, he wondered if some of the melancholy was Rossi's doing too.

Hotch knew that she was supposed to be seeing him tonight. That was a big part of the reason why Henry was staying over for a sleepover. But, now that she was here, something had obviously gone wrong. He really wanted to know if he would have to give more than a piece of his mind to his best friend.

"JJ?" he breathed out, letting it trail off as he waited for her to look up at him.

She studiously refused to look him in the eye. A protective tactic, he knew. So, letting out a sigh, he reached across the table to give her hand a comforting squeeze. That did the trick; she looked up at him in surprise. "What happened?"

When her gaze dropped back to his hand, still covering hers, he quickly released her from his grip, trying his hardest not to blush. The last thing she needed was to worry about his longtime crush on her.

Finally, she shook her head. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have come… I'm a mess."

When she made the move to get up and go, he took hold of her hand, halting her. "JJ," he said, completely exasperated and growing increasingly worried. "You don't have to apologize. I'm here for you whenever you need me."

Her blue eyes fell to his dark ones, eyeing him shrewdly. He had a sense that she was gleaning all his secrets from him with that one look. Not good. And this time he did blush, letting go of her hand hurriedly.

"Sit," he ordered to cover up his discomfort.

A moment more of that look and finally she slowly lowered herself back into the chair.

Feeling like a parrot, he reiterated, "What happened?"

She frowned. "Dave," she said simply. "Dave… buying my house, happened."

His eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

She let out a bitter sounding chuckle. "He bought my house, Hotch, so Henry and I could live in it… like we're some sort of charity cases."

_Whoa_. The amount of bitterness in her tone was enough to flavor all the coffee in the world.

"I was wrong about him; he doesn't get me, not at all," she lamented. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Whoa," he said out loud. "I think you need to explain what happened tonight. Start from the beginning."

He was sure that that wasn't all there was to it. His friend could do and had done some pretty stupid things in the past, but this just sounded like a misunderstanding.

For the next ten minutes, she gave him the play-by-play of their last conversation before she'd stormed out of Dave's house and landed on his doorstep. He listened with an objective ear, but it soon became clear to him, this _was_ all just a big misunderstanding.

Dave _had_ been doing a good thing. Not only had he been thinking about JJ, he had also been thinking about her son. Henry was at a point in his childhood where he needed stability, and Dave was attempting to help JJ out with that. It was a kind gesture. Granted, an overly grandiose gesture, but that was who he was.

And JJ was doing the same thing, being who she was, cautious and independent. Hotch had known her a lot longer than Dave had, that's why he'd learned that when you offered JJ help you often had to do it in an indirect kind of way. Because she had been accurate about her self-assessment days earlier, she was stubborn and hard-headed, and she'd learned at a young age that if she ever needed anything she'd have to get it herself. That's who she was. Having a house handed to her, albeit temporarily, conflicted with her values.

JJ finished her tale, breathing heavily from her rekindled anger.

Well, at least she wasn't crying anymore, he mused. He hated seeing her in tears. He'd take her ire any day.

She waited expectantly for his assessment.

"The truth?" he asked, to make sure she'd want to hear what he had to say.

"Yes," she said swiftly. "You're my friend, Aaron, I trust your opinion."

"Ok." He took a deep breath and said, "You're being unreasonable."

Her brow furrowed in displeasure. "What?"

He held up his hands, hoping she'd hold off long enough to let him explain. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting, but not looking pleased.

"Yes, he bought your house, and yes it was a pretty extreme thing to do, but JJ," he paused, looking her in the eye. "He did it _for_ you."

JJ opened her mouth to protest, but he still had more to say.

"Wait, JJ. What you need to look at right now is not the gesture itself, but the reason for the gesture… why he did it. Think about it, why would he buy your house?"

He didn't say anything more, letting her do just that, think. He watched her features, hardened by her anger, slowly soften as minutes passed. Eventually, she seemed overcome by confusion.

"Because…" she started slowly. "He… cares about me?"

Hotch had the urge to chuckle. He found it funny that she continued to have a hard time with the notion of Dave caring about her. Why that was so, he suspected he'd have to delve deeper; she was a pretty loveable person, if he said so himself. Though, he didn't let himself think further on that thought.

"That's right," he allowed. "And JJ, it's not as if he's giving you the house."

At least he hoped that wasn't his intentions. Thinking about Dave and his ways, he thought that maybe he should phone him up ASAP and caution him against it, just in case.

"He's only offering you a place to stay. Just like I did, just like Garcia did."

She let out a tired sigh. "That's exactly what he said."

She went quiet after that. He tried to gauge her reaction but he found he couldn't. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, talk to him?" She shrugged uncomfortably. "I didn't really give him a chance to explain."

He smiled at that, thinking of his best friend not being able to get in a word for once in his life. It pleased him a little more than it should have.

Her hand suddenly on his brought him out of his thoughts abruptly. He looked up to see those eyes of hers focused solely on him. She smiled and it warmed him from the inside out.

"Thank you, again," she said softly. "You know, I don't know what I would have done without you…"

"I'll always be here for you, JJ," he stated, affectionately. "You'll never have to find out, all right."

The tender scene was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice that had him wincing.

"JJ, I didn't know you'd be here tonight?"

He glanced up to see Beth, standing behind JJ. His girlfriend threw him a raised eyebrow in question; answering his own question of how much did she just hear.

* * *

><p>"Oh man, I'm out of money," JJ groaned, standing up and backing away from the coffee table. "That's it for me. You boys have taken me for all I'm worth."<p>

Beth chuckled. "They're good, aren't they? Makes me wonder if they've played it before…" She eyed the two boys, who stared back at her guiltily.

"At school," Jack finally confessed.

JJ smiled. "I think we raised a couple of trickster's, Hotch."

"I think you're right," he agreed.

When Beth had arrived, she'd brought along Monopoly Jr. It seemed that not only did she land on Hotch's doorstep unannounced that night but, she'd also interrupted the games night they were going to have after the movie.

Beth had, of course, insisted that JJ stay and play with them, too. She'd been uncomfortable in accepting, especially after the scene she'd walked in on. But Beth made her feel welcome quickly.

"I should get going," JJ announced.

"Mommy, we going?" Henry asked sadly.

The initial plan was for him to sleep over, but now that she was here…

"Let him stay, JJ," Hotch urged. He eyed her meaningfully. "Besides, it's not too late to do that thing we were discussing that you should do."

She let out a sigh. She knew that he meant she should go back to Dave's and talk to him. Was she up for it? She didn't know, but she'd guess she'd soon find out.

JJ nodded her head in acceptance. She bent down to give her son a kiss. "Be a good boy, ok?"

"Yes, mommy," Henry agreed, giggling, as if saying to her: could he be anything but good?

Hotch began to stand up, but Beth beat him to it. "I'll walk JJ to the door," she assured. "Besides, it's your turn."

Hotch waved his goodbye, giving her an affectionate smile. She'd meant it before; she didn't know what she would have done without his friendship these past few months. She was grateful to him.

JJ stood at the door turning to face Beth. "Sorry for crashing your evening."

"No worries," the woman let her know. "We had fun."

"Well," she replied, hand on the doorknob, pulling the door open. "Have a good night."

She stepped out, ready to leave.

"JJ?"

Turning around, she saw Beth following her outside; she pulled the door shut behind her. JJ raised a wary eyebrow. She didn't know Beth well, all she knew was that she was good to Hotch, so she had no idea what this could be about.

"He really cares about you," Beth stated shakily.

_He?_ JJ didn't know who she was talking about. _Dave?_ No, she wouldn't be talking about her relationship. _Hotch?_ Realization suddenly hit her as she took in the dark haired woman's nervous exterior.

"We're just friends," JJ blurted out quickly.

"Still, given the chance—"

"No," she said adamantly.

"He offered you his guest bedroom," Beth noted somewhat incredulously.

JJ let out a sigh. "You know about that?" She nodded. "We're just friends, Beth. I care about Hotch, but I have feelings for Dave."

"Dave?"

"Yes, my boyfriend," JJ answered. "In fact, I'm on my way over there."

Beth looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry, JJ."

"No worries. Hotch is a great guy. Take care of him."

In the meantime, she had her own great guy to do right by.

* * *

><p>Rossi put the last of the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and turned it on. He let out a sigh, thinking about the lost-cause evening he had ahead of him. He had had plans tonight, an intimate interlude with his new girlfriend. Sadly, that was not to be. He grabbed his wineglass and headed for the den. Now, he planned to space out in front of his TV.<p>

He'd already attempted to figure out just where he'd gone wrong. And after combing over the entire conversation with JJ, he still couldn't figure out where exactly it went wrong.

Yes, he knew that buying her house was a tad over the top. But he'd done it for her. And Henry. So, for the near future they wouldn't be out of house and home. Seriously, he thought he was doing good. How she conceived his gesture as evil incarnate, he had no clue.

Rossi still had plans to confront her about it. He wasn't about to let her go, not after just getting her. But, he'd give her some time to breathe, for her anger to, hopefully, lessen.

Turning on the TV, he plopped himself on his couch and mindlessly began flipping through the channels.

The doorbell rang sometime later and he had half the mind not to get up and answer it. But, what if it was important? _What if it was JJ?_ he thought hopefully. That settled, he made his way back through his living room, to his front door.

Pulling it open he found just the person he couldn't get off his brain. "JJ?"

She was frowning deeply, making it hard for him to figure out if her arrival was a good sign or not.

"We need to talk, Dave."

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><p>Well that's it for this chapter. I promise next chapter will be full of JJRossi.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: **Graveygraves; thekeeperoftime; HansonFanGermany; agentracer25; p95000; hxchick; spyagent001; ilovetvalot, and ncis4ever21**.

Hope to have the next chapter up soon.


	17. Forgiveness

**A/N:** Hey all! So, so sorry about the wait, I've had so much writer's block on all my fics lately it's been pretty frustrating. Still not over it, but I managed to get this little chapter done. I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 17: Forgiveness:**

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><p>Rossi wordlessly held the door open for JJ; he stood off to the side, watching her walk on in. She didn't get further than his foyer, instead, waiting there for him expectantly. Back to her, he shut the door as he sent a silent prayer to God that things were about to get better instead of worse.<p>

"Uh…" he began after turning to face her; he was uncomfortable under her stern, blue gaze. "Have a seat…" JJ moved into the living room, taking the chair. He followed, taking the sofa some distance away. "I didn't know if you'd be back tonight…"

He trailed off lamely, at a loss at how to proceed. Should he just outright say I'm sorry, ask for an explanation first or, just let her do the talking? For once in his life he chose to allow someone else to take the lead.

She was still frowning. "I didn't think I was either," she confessed. "After I left I went to Hotch's—"

"Hotch!" he exclaimed, cutting her off. He couldn't help his outburst. Yes, Hotch was his best friend; however, he also knew that his best friend had a thing for the woman he loved. It was the jealously that had him cutting her off.

"Yes, Hotch's," she responded chidingly. The look on her face said to him 'just try me;' if he had to say more to say on the subject, she clearly didn't want to hear it. "We talked. He made me see that maybe I jumped to conclusions."

"Maybe?" he remarked, raising an eyebrow at her. He knew that he probably should have reined in his indignation a bit, especially since she was still so clearly displeased with him. But that wasn't who he was.

"Ok," she allowed. "There's no maybe about it. You were… trying to do a good thing…" She drew out the sentence, making him think that she hadn't come to that conclusion on her own—he'd have to thank Hotch, he thought, grudgingly. "And I didn't see that right away."

Rossi let out a sigh. It was as close to an apology as he was going to get. Well, he wasn't about to say the words either. Two could play at this stubborn game.

"I get that what I did might have been over the top," he started.

"Might?" she echoed, her turn to question his word choice.

"Fine, might isn't the right word. What I did was huge," he conceded. "But, the thing I don't get is why what I did caused such an extreme reaction in you."

"I hardly think my reaction was extreme," she protested heatedly.

"You stormed out of here, saying I didn't know you and then you ran into another man's arms," he shot back, steamed.

"I did not run into Hotch's arms," she retorted. "And you bought me a house!"

Rossi took a moment to take a deep breath. They would get nowhere if they continued on this path. "JJ," he said more calmly. "What was it about what I did that was so wrong to you?"

He would get his explanation and then maybe they could move on from this, hopefully with their relationship intact.

Her face softened then, eyes downcast, he suddenly saw that vulnerable side to her that she rarely showed anyone. "Nothing," she said. "What you did was sweet and considerate, you were thinking of Henry and I… I shouldn't have jumped all over you like that."

His mouth dropped open in surprise; he had not been expecting that. He didn't know what to say.

"When I was eleven years old…" she started, voice strained. "… my sister uh committed suicide."

She swallowed an obvious lump in her throat. Dave had no idea why she was telling him this, now. "JJ, I—"

She held up a hand for him, asking him to wait. "My parents took it hard, we all did… My dad was a mechanic for farming equipment… after she… well he couldn't hold down a job. My sister had been his favorite." She stopped, taking a deep breath. She met his eyes and he could see all the sadness, all the heartache of that time in her eyes. "We became very poor… often we had to rely on the church's handouts to get by."

His eyes widened, he was starting to get it. To get a huge part of her.

"The town… they didn't let us forget it, that we needed their help. Oh, they weren't mean about it—well, most weren't…" She pursed her lips, remembering. "But it was known around town that the Jareau's could use all the help that they could get."

"JJ," he breathed out. "I… I didn't know."

"I know, no one knew," she confessed. "After living like that through the rest of middle school, I made it my mission in high school to get a scholarship so I could get out of that town. I got my scholarship. Soccer became my ticket out."

"You never wanted to be handed anything again," he affirmed for himself.

"Yes," she said simply.

He could understand where she was coming from now, understand her vehement reaction earlier. He let out a sigh. "You've got to know, JJ, that treating you like you needed a handout was never my intention. I just… I truly only wanted to make things easier on you. Carry part of your burden, so to speak."

"I know," she said, letting out her own sigh. She moved out of the chair to sit next to him. "I know that now."

He shook his head. "I don't know how your parents did things or even you and Will, but I've always been taught that a man and a woman should share in and do what they can to alleviate each other's problems."

"What are you saying, Dave?" she asked tentatively.

What was he saying? After a moment's consideration he figured it out.

"I'm saying if you still want to be with me, our relationship needs to be a true partnership. I'm saying if something is bugging you, or me, for that matter, we need to share it with each other. We need to be able to help each other out. I'm saying we need to truly be a part of each other's lives." He paused to gauge her reaction. She looked unsure and wary. "I can do that. Can you?"

"I…" she started, stopping abruptly. "I can try. If you're willing to give me a chance, I'm willing to give it my all."

He gave her a small smile. "Of course, sweetheart. That's all I can ask of you."

"So…" she said hesitantly. "Are we ok?"

He nodded his head. He held out an arm to his side and she sunk into his side, allowing him to embrace her. "We're ok," he said out loud. It was funny how they'd gotten to this point without either of them explicitly saying I'm sorry.

"About the house," JJ suddenly broke the silence.

He waved a dismissive hand in front of them. "Don't worry about it; it can be on the market by the end of the week."

"No," she said abruptly. He pulled her head back slightly so he could see her face. She looked sheepish. "I mean… you were right, earlier. I did want for Henry to have a more stable transition. If you're still all right with it, I would be honored to accept it until I can find our own place."

"I'm all right with it. As long as you understand this isn't a favor I expect to be paid back. This isn't something I'll hold over your head for the rest of our lives. This was just a gesture I wanted to do for the person I care about most in the world."

She'd pulled back from him slightly and now looked at him with an expression of wonder. "For the rest of our lives?" she breathed out.

He looked at her tenderly. "I care about you, JJ, deeply. I know we agreed to take things slow, but… I can see it."

Rossi held his breath, waiting for her reaction. He didn't want to scare her off, but he also wanted all his cards on the table.

She gave him an encouraging smile before she snuggled back into his side. "So," she started, tone clearly amused, he let out his breath, relaxing. "Does this count as our first fight? If it does…"

"Yeah…" he prompted, eager to hear what she had to say.

"I'm big on the afterwards make-up sex," she finished, giggling when he had no quick retort.

She jumped from his arms, grinning from ear to ear. Reaching for his hands, she pulled. "Come on," she urged.

He definitely didn't have to be told twice.

* * *

><p>Well that's it. I hope to have the next chapter up soon but with the way the writing's been going lately, no promises.<p>

Anyways, just wanted to thank anyone who may have voted for this fic in the Profiler's Choice Awards. It didn't win, but I still appreciate being nominated, so thank you.

And thanks to anyone else who's been reading and reviewing: **Graveygraves; HansonFanGermany; thekeeperoftime; Angels-heart1; p95000; CriminallyCecy; and spyagent001.**


	18. Jealousy

**A/N:** Hey all! Just wanted to say so sorry for the wait. This is actually the third version of this chapter. I kept starting it, getting half way and then I'd toss it. I think I like this version best of all. It works. Hope you enjoy. And I hope you'll let me know what you think. Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 18: Jealousy:**

* * *

><p>JJ made her way through the thick crowd of bodies, back to the bar where she knew her boyfriend had firmly ensconced himself. She let out a sigh as she spotted him, a glass of scotch in hand, absently crowd watching.<p>

He spotted her a second later and she quickly went to his side, eager to be near him. She slid in close, pressing her body to his side, not bothering with a stool, she'd be back out on the floor soon enough. Dave bestowed her with a pleased smile, entwining his free hand with one of her own.

"You look good out there," he told her heatedly, momentarily catching her off guard with his intensity.

"Thanks," she murmured before pressing a kiss to his lips.

It was supposed to be a brief kiss, but Dave had other plans. Letting go of her hand, he instead tangled his fingers in her hair, tilting her head so she was at his complete mercy.

JJ moved closer to him, standing between his legs. She could feel how much he wanted her and for the first time that night she wished they hadn't left the house.

"Get a room!" someone close by jeered.

JJ pulled back slightly, chuckling, her fists entangled in Dave's expensive shirt, only to see a grinning Morgan passing by.

"Tell me again why the whole team is out on _our_ date?" Dave groaned against her lips.

JJ laughed. "Garcia," she stated simply. And it was all she had to say, Dave nodded his head in understanding.

Garcia had cornered her recently and begged her to allow her to organize a big group date. Truthfully, JJ believed it to be an excuse to see Dave and her in action. They were nothing but professional at work, the two of them were leaving everything to imagination for the nosy, but well-meaning blonde. And JJ knew that Garcia, as well as Emily had their… misgivings about Dave, the boyfriend.

After word had got out about how he'd bought her house, her two best girlfriends were shocked and amazed that the one-time Casanova would do something so big for a woman he just started dating. The two wanted to make sure he was completely sincere, hence the group date.

JJ was grateful that her friends had her back, but it was completely unnecessary. Dave truly cared for her and the feeling was mutual. Funny thing was, she'd hardly seen them all night, other than on the dance floor. She guessed they believed he was treating her well enough.

"Are you sure you don't want to dance?" she questioned, batting her eyelashes at him enticingly. He'd refused her all night. She realized night clubs weren't his thing; still, she really wanted him to give in.

No such luck. Dave shook his head. "It's ok. I like watching you move…"

He was denying her again, but it was all right, the look in his eyes told her he had a few moves for her later tonight. That, alone, was enough of a pick-me-up.

"Woo, I'm beat," a voice suddenly came from their right.

JJ swiveled around to see Beth fanning herself as she hopped onto a free stool. Hotch had, of course, invited his girlfriend on the group outing. JJ hadn't spoken to her since their awkward front stoop conversation about Hotch almost a month ago. But it seemed the brunette had actually put aside her insecurities and JJ was enjoying her company along with her friends.

She smiled. "Where's Hotch?" she asked.

Beth waved off in the direction of the dance floor. "Still out there. That man's got stamina like you wouldn't believe. _Like you wouldn't believe!_" she emphasized.

JJ got her meaning, blushing at the fact that she was now thinking of her boss's—who also happened to be one of her closest guy friends—staying power in bed. _Oh God… stop,_ she mentally scolded herself, especially when she noticed Dave raising an eyebrow at her.

"I'm going back out there," she said abruptly, as much as from a need to dance, as to get away from the embarrassing moment. She turned her body back to Dave and added, "One more ok, and then we can get out of here, I promise."

"Take as much time as you'd like, like I said before I like watching you," he reassured.

She couldn't help but think at that moment that she had the best boyfriend in the world.

JJ pushed through the crowd, wanting to find her friends: Garcia and Kevin, Emily and Morgan, Hotch, and Reid. They were in the middle of the throng just as she'd left them.

The song was fast and the six weren't dancing as couples but as a big group. JJ let herself go, finding her rhythm as she sidled over to join the group.

Her eyes wandered from one friend to another relishing their looseness tonight, even Reid had a few moves out on display and through the course of the night he'd been asked by several women to dance.

JJ's eyes met Hotch's and he gave her a relaxed smile. She was glad he'd found Beth and that she made him happy. So she wondered why Beth's words from that night, a month ago, were popping back into her head: _"He really cares about you."_

She shook herself out of those thoughts, not sure where they were coming from. True or not, she really cared for Dave so there was no point on dwelling on them anyways.

One dance soon turned into two as the music switched from something fast to a sultry beat from Santana. JJ stood there, at a loss, as all her friends paired off; even Reid found himself with a lady friend. Over the course of the night, any slow song that had come on was danced with Reid or sat out. She really didn't want to sit this one out, though. She loved this song.

JJ turned her body towards the bar, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dave to silently beseech him to get his butt over there. But she couldn't see through the mass of undulating, grinding bodies.

_Oh well… _She resigned herself to sitting this one out when a hand grabbed hold of hers, giving it a tug to whirl her around fast. JJ had enough sense to bring a hand up to stop herself from crashing into whoever it was that'd spun her.

Her hand made contact with a hard, warm chest and when she tilted her head upwards she was surprised to see that it was Hotch staring down at her with intensity. She gulped down a feeling of trepidation and something else, as she was subjected to his unsmiling scrutiny. What was he looking for when he looked at her like that? She wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

"Ho—Hotch," she stuttered out.

"One dance," he murmured in her ear. "That's all."

He pulled back to look her in the eyes, the intensity was still there but the smile was back. She was glad for that. She was able to nod her head, pushing everything else she thought she'd saw to the back of her mind.

This was Hotch, this was her friend.

* * *

><p>Rossi sat alone at the bar once again, more than ready to get out of there, but unwilling to cut JJ's fun short. Beth had excused herself to the washroom just as the song had changed to some sort of Latin beat.<p>

The dance floor crowd was getting thicker as the night wore on and he'd lost track of his stunning girlfriend more than once already. He wondered if maybe he should finally get his butt out there and join JJ and his friends for at least one last dance.

It wasn't that he couldn't dance; it was just that it wasn't his thing. He loved that JJ understood that. Not once that night, did she get upset with him for his lack of dancing.

Still, one dance couldn't hurt.

He was just getting up to join her when a flash of her shiny blonde hair came into view. Another second later the crowds parted a crack and he could see her long, lean body clad in a jewel blue piece of fabric moving sensuously to the beat against another lean figure.

Rossi's mouth dropped open at the sight of his girlfriend's body entwined around his best friend's. _What the hell? _For a moment, all he could do was watch through a red colored haze. JJ pulsed her body against her dance partner's, undulating in a way that was way too sexual for Rossi's comfort.

Never mind the fact that it was one of the hottest sights he'd ever seen. The fact that it was Hotch she was grinding against was like being doused in a bucket of cold water.

When he saw Hotch's hands skim across her bare back that did it. He was going to go over there and get JJ out of here or punch Hotch in the face. He didn't know which he'd do just yet.

Marching out on the dance floor, he pushed at the people around him, in no mood for any of it anymore. He finally reached their side, but the pair was too into the dance to notice him.

Rossi let out a little growl of frustration that must have been louder than he thought, since it caught Garcia's attention. She threw him a questioning look which he promptly ignored.

The next thing he knew, his hand was reaching out for JJ, tapping her on the shoulder. That did the trick. She stepped back from Hotch who looked down at her quizzically. She turned around and he saw her eyes widen in surprise and then pleasure. "Dave!" she happily exclaimed.

Angry, he took hold of her hand and tugged at it, albeit gently. "Come on, it's time to go."

She moved a step or two before pulling her hand out of his. "Dave," she said his name again, this time in shock. "What the—What's the matter?"

"I'm done here," he said, managing to keep his fury in check, just barely. "You can come with me or stay, it's your choice."

Her blue eyes were filled with disbelief. He was too mad to see that she was honestly at a loss.

"Dave, what's going on?" Hotch wanted to know, looking from him to JJ in concern. His so called best friend moved closer to JJ as if to protect her. _From him?_

"I swear to God, Aaron, if you don't go find your own girlfriend right now, so help me—" he stated through gritted teeth.

"Dave!" JJ shouted, scandalized.

Hotch's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's a good idea right now…" His eyes darted back to JJ only making Dave angrier.

JJ turned to Hotch quickly. "Go; find Beth," she urged.

"Are you sure?" he asked her worriedly.

Rossi was seconds away from doing something he'd probably regret.

"I'm sure. Dave and I are leaving," she assured.

Hotch looked from her to him, shooting him a warning look before moving away.

JJ whirled back around on him in a wave of fury. "I don't know what that was about, but you sure as hell are going to explain it!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "Not here, at home!"

And then she stomped off and he watched her go, wondering for a moment if he'd started a battle he would not win. He followed shortly, but he knew he was so in trouble.

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this one. How many people have rocks in their hands ready to launch at me? lol. I swear, I started this chapter with the full intention of making it all about fluff and instead I got this. Don't worry, though, fluff to come soon. For real… I just couldn't leave the Hotch angle hanging.<p>

Anyways, thanks to all those who have reading and waiting patiently. And thanks also to those who reviewed: **Guest; HansonFanGermany; GraveyGraves; Angels-heart1; ilovetvalot; CriminallyCecy; and p95000.**

I'll try my best to update soon.


	19. Secrets Revealed

**A/N:** Hey all! Hope you enjoy this chapter; it's one of my favorites. Let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 19: Secrets Revealed:**

* * *

><p>"I can't say."<p>

JJ stared down at her boyfriend incredulously. She'd just asked Dave to explain himself. To explain why he'd gone all crazy-macho-boyfriend on her back at the club. And why he looked like he had been about to punch out his best friend.

'I can't say' was his tight-lipped response.

JJ crossed her arms over her chest and paced his living room floor back and forth a few times, hoping it would help rein in her anger. She was simply furious.

The way he'd stormed out onto the dance floor and practically manhandled her away from Aaron felt so depreciating. He'd made her feel like she'd done something wrong, when all she'd really been doing was sharing a dance with one of her closest friends. Dave had humiliated her.

She stopped to face him; the angry feeling had not gone away. "You can't say," she echoed skeptically.

He nodded once, confirming, "I can't."

"Damn it, Dave," she snapped, throwing her hands up in the air. "Do you have any idea how you made me feel?"

"I do, JJ," he said, standing up before her. "I said I was sorry. I really am."

He looked so sincere. And she believed him. Believed that he regretted his actions. But the thing was how did she know it wouldn't happen again if she didn't know what triggered it. Hell, not once on the ride over did he say, along with the apology, that it wouldn't happen again. She did not want to feel this way again. Ashamed, unworthy of his trust. It was unwarranted and she wanted to know why he felt like it had been.

"I believe you," she said. She shook her head. "But, I'm sorry, Dave, sorry isn't going to cut it. I want to know why."

He pursed his lips in refusal.

This was ridiculous. "Do you not trust me, is that it? You feel like if I could cheat on Will I could cheat on you, too?"

"That's not it, JJ," he protested adamantly.

_Finally, a reaction!_

"I trust _you_."

_Ok, so he trusts me, good. So what, he doesn't trust—_ "You don't trust Hotch?" she asked in surprise.

She expected as adamant a denial as he'd just given about her, but he said nothing. The look on his face, wariness and discomfort, said it all.

"Oh my God, you don't trust Aaron," she said, astonished. "I don't understand. I thought he was your best friend?"

"_He is!_"

Her eyes narrowed at him as she tried to make sense of this nonsense. "He's your best friend… but you don't trust him?"

"Around you, I don't," he blurted, instant regret in his eyes.

"You don't trust him with me…" she said, slowly putting all this together. Then she remembered her awkward conversations with Beth. "_'He really cares about you…'_" she echoed Beth's words that day.

"Forget I said anything, JJ," Dave pleaded with wide eyes.

She looked up at the sound of his voice, stunned to see actual pain in his eyes. He actually felt bad about saying anything about Aaron. About maybe revealing—

"You think he has feelings for me," she determined. "You _and_ Beth."

"No, JJ, I—" he stopped himself short. Dave let out a frustrated breath. "I should have never said anything. Aaron's never said anything explicitly… God, he's going to kill me."

She sat down heavily on the couch, not wanting to believe this. Aaron was her friend. In the last few months, definitely during the time she'd been away with the State Department, he'd been her best friend. JJ didn't want to think that during the times they'd hung out together she'd been enjoying his company, but he'd been silently pining for her. It just couldn't be. And yet two people saw it differently.

Then it hit her.

"Oh, God, Will," she lamented.

"Will?"

She looked up at him, startled by his presence. "Yeah… he… he said something about Aaron wanting me back at the BAU for ulterior motives… He didn't know at the time it was you who organized it… but, still he accused me of knowing about and encouraging Aaron's feelings for me. I laughed, but…"

Dave settled down next to her, taking her hand. She looked up at him. "Forget it, JJ. Aaron is just your friend. I'm sorry for the way I acted at the club. I was stupid. It won't happen again, all right?"

She looked into his eyes. He was pleading with her to forget his blunder. She understood; he felt bad for revealing something so private about his best friend.

"All right," she agreed, not really sure she could forget. She'd try for Aaron's sake. He'd never said anything. She assumed he had his reasons. Still, it was going to be real hard to look him in the eye without wondering.

Her boyfriend let out a sigh of relief. "What about us?" he asked warily.

"Us?" she wondered, still reeling.

"Are we ok?"

She eyed him carefully. She was still mad about the way he'd treated her. But he genuinely regretted his actions, probably even more so now. JJ was a firm believer in second chances. He said it wouldn't happen again, so she'd believe him.

"We're ok," she affirmed.

His face lit up and he attempted to pull her to him. But she pushed him away, shaking her head. "I need some time alone," she explained, standing up. He looked at her, confused. "I just… need some time to think."

"Ok…"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dave," she parted, moving towards the door.

She left before he could see her out.

Standing on his front stoop, JJ took a deep breath. Tonight had been an unexpected eye-opener. Now she had to decide what to do with the information revealed to her.

* * *

><p>"Can you pass me the Kroger case file?" Hotch asked as he shut the Bareilles file in front of him and moved it to the 'send a profile to the precinct' pile. The cases that didn't actually need them there to work a profile.<p>

He turned to see JJ rifling through a pile of files. They'd spread them out on the coffee table in front of the couch in his office. They were working through the requests, trying to figure out an order of urgency. JJ's previous experience as media liaison, combined with her new profiling skills was part of the reason why he'd asked her to help him. The other part was the fact that she was acting very strange around him. Jumpy, almost like he frightened her; that was why the door to his office was wide open. And he wanted to know why.

Hotch had first gotten the impression that something was up when, early this morning, he'd found JJ and Garcia having a coffee in the break-room. If he wasn't mistaken, and he didn't think he was, her pretty mouth had formed a perfect 'o' on sight of him. And as he'd greeted them, making small talk, he was pretty sure the mother of one had attempted to inch her way out of the room. Even Garcia had noticed it. It would have been pretty comical if it wasn't for the sinking feeling he had that he'd done something to cause the reaction.

Later, when he'd asked her what had happened at the club, she'd backed away from him, mumbling something about it all being a misunderstanding, before fleeing hurriedly. This was not the strong-willed, speak-her-mind JJ he'd come to know in eight years.

"Here you go," she said, not meeting his eyes.

He reached for the file, his fingers accidentally brushed hers and she flinched. She actually flinched! That was the last straw; he was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Damn it, JJ," he started, throwing the file back to the pile. "_What_ is going on?"

"No…Nothing," she stuttered.

"_Really?_ Is that why you haven't been able to look me in the eye all day?" he asked, frustrated.

He watched as she seemed to force herself to turn her body towards him. Then, just as slowly, she tilted her head so she could look him in the eye. She plastered on the fakest smile he'd ever seen. _What is going on? _He looked into her expressive blue eyes, looking for a hint of what was the matter.

"JJ," he started, feeling the need to apologize for something, anything. "If I've done anything—"

He stopped abruptly. There was a spark of something in her eyes. Something that told him—

"Shit!" he exclaimed, standing up quickly to get away from her.

"Aaron," he heard her say in surprise.

Hotch turned around to eye her tentatively. She knew. _How could she know?_ He'd been so careful around her. But her skittishness, it fit.

He turned away from her, not wanting to see the questions, the confusion, and the pity that inevitably would be there.

Her hand touched his shoulder gently. "Aaron?" she said softly. "I'm sorry."

Facing her, he questioned, "JJ, what do you need to be sorry for?" After all, he'd been the one harboring feelings for her for forever now.

Her cheeks tinged pink. "For my behavior today… And… and I guess… for not seeing it before…"

He chuckled dryly. "What difference would that have made? Could you say you would have done something about it if you'd known?"

Hotch hadn't meant to ask her that question, but he waited for her answer with bated breath.

"I don't know," she admitted.

Exhaling the breath, he was about to say to forget the whole thing when she suddenly took his hand in hers. She led him back to the couch to sit.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"When?" he replied incredulously. "When I was married? When you met Will and got pregnant? Or how about now that you're dating my best friend? There was never a right time, JJ."

"You still could have said something," she said, chagrined. "I might have—"

"You might have what? Returned my feelings?" he replied sarcastically.

Her eyes flashed angrily. "Maybe," she returned tersely.

Annoyed, he added, "Well, you know now. What are you going to do about it?"

Her bright blue eyes opened wide in surprise; he watched her open and close her mouth several times, trying to find something to say.

His question wasn't fair to her. She was with Dave, happily. This was why he'd never said anything. There was never a right time for them. And he'd come to accept that a long time ago. Had even moved on with Beth. He was happy.

"Forget what I said, JJ. You're with Dave, you're happy, right? So am I," he assured.

"You are?" she asked unsurely.

"As beautiful and kind as you are, I've managed to get by," he stated, amused.

She pushed him away. "You're making fun of me," she pouted.

He laughed. "A little," he admitted. "But it's true. Yes, I have feelings for you, JJ. Because _you are_ beautiful and kind. But I've moved on; Beth makes me happy."

"Yeah?" she asked hesitantly.

For a long time he'd put his life on hold, waiting for this woman before him to notice him as more than her boss, then as more than just her friend. But when things had fallen apart with Will and she'd gone to Dave for comfort, he knew he had to move on.

Beth had come into his life unexpectedly, but he did truly care for her. Like he'd said, he was happy.

"Yeah," he answered.

"So…" she started softly.

He smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. "_So…_ can we go back to the way things were before? Friends?"

She returned his smile tentatively at first and then more confidently. "Yeah, friends," she agreed.

He eyed her a moment longer; the discomfort from before was melting off her face. He was glad to be getting back his dear friend. "Good, cause I need you," he said. "We've got a ton of files to go through."

She smiled and let go of his hand to return to work. They worked side by side, comfortably now. _Ordeal over._

Or at least as far as JJ was concerned it was. He still needed to talk to Dave. He wanted to know why the man was blurting out his business, upsetting the balance he had between himself and JJ. Because he knew, this was what last night's outburst was about. Dave knew that he had feelings for JJ. And dancing with the pretty blonde last night had set him off.

He needed to set his friend straight. JJ loved Dave, not him, never him.

* * *

><p>That's it for this one. I think that's it for the JJDave drama (I hope). I'm winding this one down; I'd say 2 to 5 chapters left. And then, maybe after I finish a couple more of my ongoing stories, I can start the triangle story I've been planning forever between the three.

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this one. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter: **Graveygraves** _(no worries, I'm a crap updater, lol. Thx for reading);_ **VaninBlack; Angels-heart1; thekeeperoftime; ilovetvalot; Starcrier; and p95000. **

I'll try my best to update soon.


	20. Reevaluating

**A/N:** Hey all! So sorry for the wait, here's the next chapter, just for you!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 20: Reevaluating:**

* * *

><p>"What's up, Rossi?"<p>

Startled, Dave actually jumped on spot. Morgan threw him a strange look in response. "Seriously, man, are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine, I'm fine," he said, gruffly. He made himself stand up a bit straighter, affecting a more nonchalant front, even though on the inside he was far from fine.

"You don't look fine," the younger profiler stated bluntly. "_And_ you've been hovering outside of Hotch's office door for the last ten minutes. Come on, what's up?"

He grimaced. "I… did something. And now he wants to see me," he explained, vaguely.

"Couldn't be as bad as the Reid/Morgan prank wars. Hotch was livid then, but we survived." He clapped him on the shoulder. "You will too, I'm sure."

He'd forgotten. After Morgan pranked Reid, giving the media his own personal number and Reid's ensuing scream-fest in Morgan's ears, things escalated. Morgan had somehow used all Reid's first editions to barricade the genius in his apartment, causing him to miss a case briefing. The young genius, in turn, responded with taking all the door knobs off all the doors in Morgan's home, also delaying him. Hotch had no problem with them pranking each other, but when it began to interfere with the job, that's when he became cross.

_That was the job. How is he going to feel about something personal?_

"I'm a dead man," he groaned.

Morgan patted his shoulder giving him a mixed look of sympathy and curiosity. "Good luck." And then he was off.

He let out a sigh. He guessed the only way out was through. He'd have to face the music. And with that, he knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in," he heard Hotch call from inside.

_Deep breaths,_ he told himself. _Keep breathing._ It wasn't that he was afraid of the man; so much as he was afraid his jealously may have cost him their friendship. It was something he valued greatly and definitely did not want to lose.

He pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit room. Closing the door behind him, he turned to see his best friend hunched over a file, writing away. "Have a seat," he said neutrally, without looking up.

Dave did as told, watching him carefully. He didn't look angry. Maybe this was a work related summons. _Yeah, Rossi, and maybe pigs can fly…_

_It was just a thought,_ he argued with himself.

He continued to eye the Unit Chief warily. It was a good minute before Hotch punched the paper with a period and then set the pen down. He looked up at him, his usual stoic expression on his face.

"Here's what I'd like to know, Dave," Hotch began, deceivingly calm. Rossi knew better, he saw the tell-tale twitch at his left eyebrow. He was in for it, for sure.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" he asked angrily. He paused, making Rossi think he wanted an answer. Only when he opened his mouth to speak, Hotch cut him off. "Not only did you behave like an idiot at the club, but then you go and try to jeopardize my friendship with JJ. Based on what? Hearsay, obscure observations on your part. I don't appreciate the spreading of gossip, especially when it can have such high consequences."

"Wait a second!" Rossi jumped in before he went off on another tirade. "Are you really going to just sit there and tell me you feel absolutely nothing for my girlfriend?" Hotch opened his mouth to reply. "Just try to deny it, go ahead. I'm a profiler, I'll know."

Hotch let out a sigh, deflating slightly. "What I feel or don't feel is irrelevant, isn't it? JJ loves _you_, you idiot! Why the hell you'd go and endanger that is beyond me. You're not a stupid man, Dave, stop acting like it."

He frowned. Hotch didn't answer his question, he noticed. "You're right. I was stupid to believe my best friend would make moves on my girlfriend. I was wrong. _But_, I wasn't wrong about your feelings." Dave put a hand up to stave off protest. "Let's just put it all out there, ok. Clear the air and all that."

It was a moment before Hotch blew out a breath. Glaring at him, he said, "Fine. Yes, I have feelings for JJ."

"Ok, good, we're getting somewhere," he said with fake pleasantness. "Now, tell me, if I hadn't stepped in after Will and JJ's relationship fell apart, would you have?"

Hotch shifted uncomfortably. "What's the point of all this?"

"Clearing the air, remember?" he said tersely. "Now, would you have?"

Looking him in the eye, he answered, "Yes, I would have tried. I care about her. However, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. She doesn't feel the same about me, so…"

"I see." Rossi knew what if's meant nothing, really. But, what _if_ Hotch had gotten to JJ first, would she have fallen for him instead.

He tried to push that wayward thought aside. Hotch hadn't done a single thing to betray him. Still, why did he feel like he had?

"That's not fair, Dave," Hotch protested, reading his expression. "I have never, not once, done anything to hurt your relationship with JJ. And as long as you treat her right, I never will interfere. I'm your friend, just as much as I'm hers."

He was right, of course. He was the only one doing the betraying around here. Dave opened his mouth to apologize, but then thought of one last thing.

"And in the future?"

"I can't see into the future, can you?" Hotch countered dryly. "As long as you and JJ are happily together, I won't say a thing. Besides, I'll tell you what I told her. I am very happy with Beth. We work and I care for her. All right?"

Dave felt like the worst human being ever. "I'm sorry, Aaron."

He smiled. "I get it, Dave. If I had her, I would do everything in my power to keep her. But give her some credit, all right, she _wants_ to be with you."

"Why?" he wondered.

"That, my friend, is a mystery to me, and something only she and God knows," he replied jokingly.

Rossi stood up to go. "I really am sorry. I hope you and JJ are ok."

"We are," Hotch assured. "You too?"

He frowned. "She said we are. But she's been avoiding me since that night. She said she needed time." He was definitely on the worried side.

"Talk to her, Dave," Hotch advised. "I think she's cooled down."

"I hope so. Thanks, Aaron."

* * *

><p>1<p>

JJ sat all alone in the break-room, picking at the crumbs that used to be her muffin. She normally wasn't a mid-morning snack-er, but Henry had kept her up all night with a fever. He was ok now, but she was exhausted, hence the pick-me-up chocolate chip muffin.

Truthfully, though, it wasn't just the fact that she was tired that was getting her down. She missed Dave.

JJ had told him they were ok after the Hotch incident, but she'd been keeping her distance. Why?

She was afraid, of course.

So far, their precarious relationship was nothing but misunderstanding after misunderstanding. They'd said they trusted each other. But really, were their actions the actions of two people who trusted each other completely?

If she was truly honest with herself, she knew that the answer to that question was no. So where did that leave them? What exactly did she feel for Dave?

"I thought I'd find you in here."

She jumped in her seat, startled by the intrusion. She looked up to see Dave standing in the doorway, watching her with a considering look on his face. "Dave!" she exclaimed. She stood up, hastening to get rid of her muffin and get out of there. The urge to flee was strong. "I've got to get back—"

JJ frowned when he blocked the exit. "Dave?"

"No, JJ. What we need to do is talk. Follow me to my office."

She could tell it wasn't a request. More of an order. Anger boiled beneath her skin until she realized he was right. No more running.

When he moved, she followed. It was a silent, dread-filled march to his office. She had no idea what he was thinking. What was worse, she could feel the concerned gazes of her friends following them along.

They reached his office and she was grateful for the cover. Instead of taking a seat behind his desk, he sat down on the couch and she followed suit; any notions that this wasn't about them flew out the window in that instant.

It seemed they were about to have a very real, very candid conversation. It was one she felt they needed desperately.

He looked up at her, dark eyes boring holes into her with intensity. "Cards on the table?"

She nodded dumbly.

"I love you, JJ," he confessed, surprising her, but he didn't give her a moment to let it sink in. "But, I don't think you love me."

"Dave—"

He held up a hand to make her wait. So, reluctantly, she did.

"That isn't to say you don't care about me, or that you won't ever love me. I'm just stating facts. I feel more for you than you do for me." He paused. "Am I right?"

She broke his gaze. Despite his frankness, his 'understanding,' she saw the hurt in his eyes. And she hated it. Because she was the one who'd caused it. "You're right," she murmured.

She heard him blow out a resigned sounding sigh that frightened her. This wasn't right. JJ didn't want them to end, not when they'd just begun.

"What are you getting at, Dave?" she needed to know.

"I needed you to know where my grand gestures and insane jealously came from. JJ, I've loved you for a very long time. Longer than I even knew," he told her. She re-met his gaze, seeing the truth of his words there. "And since the moment I had you, I've been afraid of losing you."

She gasped at his confession. "That's not fair, Dave. I chose you!"

He nodded. "I know. You did. But I also think it wasn't fair of me to pursue you when you'd hardly been broken up from Will. I shouldn't have made you choose—"

"You didn't!" she protested.

"I did," he denied. "And it shouldn't have been a choice. We should have been a foregone conclusion."

Her eyes started to tear up. "What are you saying, Dave? Are… are you breaking up with me?"

He shook his head. "I… I don't want that," he stuttered, just as affected as she was. "We need to take a step back. Take it slow… slower than what we've been doing. Dates, lots of dates. To the movies, dinner, things like that. Without those dates ending up in bed, at first."

Her mouth dropped open at that. "You've been thinking about this, haven't you?"

"You said you needed time to think, I used that time to do the same," he confirmed. "I also think I should take a step back from Henry. At least, until you're sure of me. It's not fair to him or me to get so attached if we aren't going anywhere."

"You were our friend before all this," she lamented.

"Yes. But things have changed. We need to protect Henry," he reiterated. "I know, JJ, that you're the one I want without a shadow of a doubt. But if I'm not who you want, I don't want Henry to be disappointed."

A tear slipped down her face. He was worried for her son. There was no way she could care about this man less. She was sure, so sure that her feelings for him would only grow from here on out.

Still, he was right. She didn't love him. Yet.

"So," she began slowly. "How do we proceed from here?"

He tentatively reached for her hand, giving it a brief squeeze before letting it go. "The new Batman movie is out, have you seen it?"

_Batman?_ she thought incredulously. "No."

"Would you like to go with me, Friday night?" he asked.

_Batman,_ she thought again, mentally shaking her head in wonder. "Sure."

He smiled finally. "Good. I'll pick you up at seven."

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this chapter. Now, no throwing things at me, ok? They are going to be together, it's just they need to take a step back because things got intense between them way too fast. I hope you all understand. Anyways, I'd say 1 to 2 chapters left for this one, at least that's what I'm hoping.<p>

Hope you all enjoyed. And thanks to everyone who's been reading and to those who reviewed the last chapter: **Angels-heart1; red2013; p95000; ilovetvalot; and Starcrier** _(lol. Will do!)._

I'll try my best to update soon! See ya!


	21. Happily Ever After

**A/N: **Hey all! Guess what, guess what! This is the final chapter of Ulterior Motives! Yay! Lol. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy and that you'll let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 21: Happily Ever After…**

* * *

><p><em><strong>~ 1 year later ~<strong>_

JJ pulled three mugs out of a box to set them on the granite countertop of the spacious kitchen, before scooping heaping teaspoons full of hot chocolate powder into the three. Pouring a mix of hot water and cold milk into each one, she topped the three mugs of hot chocolate with colorful marshmallows—the only kind Henry would eat—and went about searching in another box for some kind of tray. Finding one, she called out, "Alright, here we go, chocolate for my boys!"

She left the kitchen, approaching the living room, eager to sit down and relax. It had been a long day. However, the sight before her had JJ pausing in the doorway.

_Henry and Dave. My boys._

Neither one of them seemed to notice her presence there, so she quietly stood there, taking the moment to take it all in. This was her life, now and forever. And she couldn't have been happier.

"After you marry my mommy, what should I call you?" Henry asked innocently, and then added, unsurely, "Dad?"

Rossi scooped up her five year old, making him soar in the air before settling him on the couch next to him, in a fit of giggles. When Henry finally calmed down, Rossi answered, "Well, son, you already have a dad."

She sighed. _Will._ He was still obviously in the picture, but with the man moving to New Orleans months after their breakup, Henry had seen his dad a handful of times in the year since. It was Dave who was there for Henry, consistently, for all the important milestones.

"Uncle, then, like Uncle Derek and Uncle Spence?" Henry continued.

"Hmm…" Rossi seemed to consider this. "Why don't we just stick with what works?"

Henry grinned. "Dave!" he exclaimed.

"Dave it is," Rossi agreed, smiling happily before turning serious again. "Henry, you ok with me marrying your mom?" Her son looked up at him hesitantly, maybe a little confused. "Hey, you can tell me whatever you're thinking, ok, always. You know that, right?"

She watched her son give him a big nod.

"Alright, so tell me what you think." Rossi nudged Henry's shoulder with his own playfully, keeping things light.

Henry giggled before answering, "Ok… Joe, that's my friend at school… his mommy and daddy are married. Mommy's and daddy's are 'pposed to be married, I think…"

Rossi nodded along, encouraging her son to speak his mind.

"But, my daddy lives in 'Orleans… so daddy can't marry mommy. You're here, Dave. You can marry mommy, though."

JJ smiled affectionately at the little boy who was her world.

"And you make my mommy laugh, too. That's nice."

Dave chuckled. "So, that's a yes?"

"Yes!" Henry exclaimed, nudging Rossi back. "You're so funny, Dave!"

JJ took this as her cue to re-enter the living room. "Hot chocolate time!"

Dave looked up at her, startled. His eyes met hers, questioningly, wondering if she'd caught their exchange. She couldn't hide it, her eyes shone with happy tears.

"Yay!" her son announced, cutting off their eye conversation.

She placed the tray on the table and her son instantly launched himself towards the mugs. He eagerly picked one up, slurping loudly. Lucky for Henry, the hot chocolate was more like warm chocolate in her house.

"Movie time?" Henry questioned his mom.

She laughed, grabbing the remote as she took Henry's vacated seat next to Rossi. "Movie time," she allowed. She un-paused the movie—Batman, a cartoon, kid-friendly version, of course—and sat back on the leather sofa, getting comfortable.

Rossi breathed out a relaxed sounding breath, placing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She settled into his side, enjoying his warmth, feeling safe and content in a way she'd never felt before in her life.

"So?" he prompted, whispering close to her ear.

Exhaling a breath, her eyes went to Henry, already into the movie. When Rossi had asked her if he could check with Henry if their recent engagement was all right with him, she'd said it wasn't necessary. Henry adored Dave; there was no way he wouldn't approve.

Tonight confirmed it. But listening to the impromptu conversation with the two most important people in her life, she was struck by how much it actually meant to her to hear Henry's opinion and that it _was_ a confirmation of what she'd already believed.

She turned her head to look him in the eye. A smile spread across her lips before she said, "I love you."

He grinned. "I love you, too."

His lips met hers in a hungry kiss.

"Mommy, Dave!" Henry's voice pulled them apart. "It's time to watch the movie… not time for that…" He gestured between her and Rossi, making a face.

She cleared her throat, laughing. "Right, right, movie time."

JJ forced herself to put some distance between herself and her fiancé even as he playfully tried to reach for her. The mischievous glint in his eyes told her what he was thinking of.

"Later," she mouthed at him. She waved a finger at him, mock scolding. He let out a long-suffering sigh that turned into a smile. Instead, he reached for the hot-chocolate on the coffee-table before him.

Doing the same, she forced her attention to the TV screen, attempting to focus. No such luck. Today had been too big of a day to push out of her mind. Today she and Rossi had moved into the new house they'd bought together. She was exhausted, but still floating on cloud nine.

To think, just a year ago they were starting out, maneuvering around hurdle after hurdle. Admittedly, they'd created their own obstacle course of issues. She remembered being mad at him over the fact that he'd bought her former home. She shook her head at herself, unconsciously; she'd been such a prideful fool. After overcoming her pride and Rossi's jealousy, they took a step back, deciding that their initial intention of taking things slow had failed. And that they had to try again.

Now, here they were one year later, happy and together. That wasn't to say they still didn't have their disagreements, they did. She was still a proud individual and Rossi glared at anyone who looked at her twice. But now they had a strong foundation of love _and_ trust to fall back on.

Their relationship was steady and surging ahead. There was no stopping them now.

It was perfection.

* * *

><p>Well that's it. I really hope you enjoyed my first and last (lol) foray into the world of JJRossi (except maybe for the Hotch/JJ/Rossi triangle that I so want to write). It's been fun!

A big thanks to everyone who's been reading and alerting this story. And another big thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: **agentracer25; red2013; Angels-heart1; Snpshot; and p95000.**


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